S-Rank Criminal
by Kage no Naka no Hikari
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto flees from Konoha after an incident and is branded as nothing but a criminal. Now the blond haired boy wonders around, trying to pinpoint his options and make himself innocent...Really bad summary but check inside, you WILL like it...and to all my old readers, my account was hacked but it's back again
1. An Oath

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto but i do own this story alongside a good friend.

To my readers before my account went KO, it's not my fault, my account was hacked and thanks to my beta,Daelyn Paolini, i was able to retake it and bring back this story.

The charcoal sky rumbled above, threatening to drench the land below. Everything, the living and inanimate alike, seemed to cower in hiding from the icy clutches of the rain. The first drops landed on the leaves of the darkened, verdant forest. The earth was choking on the water, unable to take in anymore. Thunder rumbled and lightning cracked the sky open, throwing the trees and their leaves into shocking relief.

In the green canopy above the flooded ground, a shadow leapt from branch to branch making its way through the forest. The figure's normally colorful attire was now accessorized with his own blood. His pain seemed to seep through his skin, infecting the forest around him, shrouding his very steps.

Naruto had just left his home and accepted his fate. Everything was over. There was no reason to stay alive when not a single soul in this depressed land wanted him, waited for him, loved him. His dream of universal acknowledgement and appreciation of himself was now just that- a fading dream, not a facet of reality. And just when he'd finally done it, too: when he brought back one his oldest friends, Uchiha Sasuke, to the village he belonged in. Under the arrogant Uchiha's own terms, of course.

Oblivious to his old friend's hidden agenda, he'd brought him to Konoha and now Naruto was paying the price. Paying the price of having friends, of actually being stupid enough to think he was safe in his dream world, a sick pseudoreality he had been concocting his whole life.

Naruto quickened his pace. He fought back the blame, the self-hatred, and the agonizing pain as the memories hit him.

-FLASHBACK-

Uzumaki Naruto, the blonde, whisker-marked-cheek teen of Konoha was, for the very first time in two weeks, sitting calmly on top of the monument commemorating the past Hokage. Half of the sky around him was bright and shining with life. The other half was blemished with countless discolored clouds, threatening to release its liquid spite on the unknowing village.

Naruto was proud of himself. After a two month long mission, he'd finally done it. He'd finally brought back his best friend, the only brother figure in his life. He smiled when flashes of exuberant memories of a time long past quickly flashed against the orange, half-sunlit scene of Konoha before him. He sighed as he tried closing his eyes to drown out the world around him, and rest. Finally rest. Everything seemed perfect with the sun setting in the distant horizon.

He yawned as sleep began to usher him into oblivion…into peace. His mind came to a heart-broken, screeching halt when some sensation in the air around him caught his attention. He opened his eyes to see three Anbu standing around him. Slowly, Naruto drew himself to his feet, practically tasting the tension in the air. Something was definitely wrong. His usually happy face narrowed in to one of anxiety when the Anbu remained silent. They simply stood there and looked at him, seeming to be prepared for anything.

"Is something wrong?" he thought it took him a moment too long to find his voice.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you're wanted before the Council."

Naruto turned to look behind him for the origin of the voice. He gazed upon the figure of Yamato, which only elicited more feelings of anxiety and fear from Naruto. A frown painted the perfect picture of disbelief on Naruto's face. For the first few seconds, he didn't know what to do but just stare in confusion at the angry and disappointed expression on his sensei's face. He looked again at the Anbu and wondered whether he was in some kind of trouble. But something inside him began to unravel the tense scene around him, piecing together bits and pieces of a puzzle Naruto didn't know even existed to begin with. He could feel the tension, the fear, the thirst for blood, the killer intent- and it was emanating from everyone here. With a strange sense of fear, the blonde shinobi turned to his sensei.

"Yamato-sensei, what's wrong?" Naruto asked with all the innocence he could muster. He only received a scowl from his sensei. The expression was the same as those the villagers threw at him when he was the hated and rejected child of Konoha.

"The Council will brief you on everything once you're before them." Yamato didn't bother to take the angry emotions off his face. Naruto frowned as he noticed this. He stood his ground, unwilling to obey when he, an innocent man, was being treated like a criminal.

"And what if I refuse?" he spoke boldly, sending a similar glare to Yamato, who simply returned the gesture in kind.

"Yes, I beg you to defy the Council, demon," an Anbu behind him hissed. Naruto was fed up with everyone's idiocy. He turned, ready to punch the life out of him when, when he was struck still by darkness.

"Wood Release: Four-Pillar Prison Technique!" Wood erupted around him and within a second, he was locked in the prison perfected by Yamato, trapped in pitch black darkness.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" Naruto yelled as the walls began to shrink until they were just his size and movable. There was no response from the outside world.

The only thing he felt was an odd sensation of blind, uncontrolled movement. He struck at the walls and found they were too hard to break down. Yamato's Wood Release jutsu was undefeatable. Giving up, Naruto finally sunk down to his haunches. Soon enough, he felt himself stop. A gap in the roof of the prison opened up to send a few slivers of grey light onto Naruto's face.

Clambering from the wooden cage, he stepped out and saw where he was. There was the Hokage Tower, right in front of him. Everyone was here, his friends and every other shinobi of Konoha. He paused when he noticed their faces. Anger, fear, shock, and betrayal colored their faces red or white. Everyone looked at Naruto in a way that made his insides seer with anxiety. If he was a different person, he might have cowered in fear from the death glares thrown his way. But then his eyes flashed to Sakura, quickly understanding the anger boiling her blood. He took a step in her direction, but everyone stepped back from him at once.

"Sakura-chan, what's wrong with-"

Sakura spat in his face, ending Naruto's sentence dead in its track With shock and pain, his eyes fell on Kakashi, who looked away from the boy. The disappointment and shame in Naruto was obvious on Kakashi's hidden face. That was when Naruto shifted his gaze to Hinata. He wasn't entirely surprised that she refused to meet his gaze. But this time was different. She looked at the ground, face twisted in pain, tears threatening to glide down her cheeks. He could see her shaking from the strain of holding in her emotions from here. Numbly, he rubbed away the saliva with his sleeve, turning to face the entrance to the Hokage Tower, which the Council members stood in. Everyone citizen of Konoha was there…except Sasuke.

Naruto frowned as his eyes fell upon Danzo. The one eyed council member seemed to look at the Jinchuriki with his usual indifferent gaze. But the venom and ice-cold hatred in his eyes was pain-stakingly obvious to Naruto.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you are hereby charged with conspiracy and murder," Danzo said blankly. Naruto gasped in shock. What was happening…murder? He wasn't even sure what to say, and where was Baa-chan? She should've been there to back Naruto on his innocence. "You are charged with the murder of the Hokage of Konoha in a planned assassination with Uchiha Sasuke in an attempt to seize power of Konoha."

Naruto's jaw almost dropped when Danzo finished his statement. His mouth was dry and his tongue lacked the words of dissent he so desperately wanted to scream. He had no idea how to process what was going on. He shook his head in pained denial.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" A kunai struck the ground in front of him, silencing him. It felt like the kunai had struck his heart instead. He glanced at the blade, the reflection of his gaping face prominent in the weapon. He looked back up at Danzo when the old man began to speak.

"Your judgment has already been decided. You are given the chance to survive the direct punishment for your crimes against the village of Konoga. Thus, this kunai is going to be your last chance for a quick death. Use it wisely." Danzo's tone was cold, and barely void of any emotion. However, Naruto could hear something on the edge of his voice. Conceit?

Naruto glanced around at the mortified and enraged faces around him. Were they honestly agreeing with the Council's unfair ruling? They knew how he felt about Tsunade. She was like the mother he never had. How could they think he could do something like what Danzo claimed? Was Sasuke part of this? What was happening? He couldn't believe everything he had been working for the last several years of his life lead to this one humiliating moment.

Naruto fell to his knees and looked at the kunai. He knew there was no point trying to clear the whole situation up. These people were already in Danzo's hands, his little sheep. They were far from being able to believe the truth. He drew his hand slowly and took the kunai from the place the blade gouged. He looked at its sharpness, the sun's rays blinking at him as he rotated the knife in his hand. Slowly, the sun finally set and darkness crept into every corner of the field they were standing in.

The village was quiet for the first time, and it was when death was threatening him. He brought the kunai close to his throat as he searched for an idea, anything that could get him out of this situation. Hell, he just needed to distract them. Without warning, he struck three smoke bombs around him with ear-popping cracks and flew through the swarming mob of shinobi being given orders to capture the traitor. By any means necessary, they kept emphasizing.

He ran as fast as he could, moving his feet, thrusting his legs, pumping his arms, trying to create as huge a gap as he could between him and the rest of the shinobi. He leapt into the air. Getting to the roof would nearly assure his survival through this ghastly dusk. He landed, hopeful, but clumsily stumbled when he heard a terrifying voice behind him.

"RAIKIRI!"

Naruto was too slow to avoid the sparkling, buzzing, blinding lightning attack Kakashi unleashed. The jutsu hit him dead on his chest, hitting its creator's mark spot on. A great exhale and sudden explosion of opaque smoke engulfed Kakashi.

Naruto frowned when the memories of his clone flooded his mind. Even Kakashi didn't have a shred of hope that he was innocent. Naruto looked at the gates. He brought the kunai close to his chest and slashed his body open. The pain bit into him, burning his insides and blinding him with stinging tears.

He made an oath. He would never return here again, never again call Konoha his home…and he would bring Uchiha Saskue to justice. Yes, Sasuke would pay the price for taking Naruto's life and shattering it into a million pieces.

-FLASHBACK ENDS-

Shoving the memories out of his mind, Naruto quickened his pace. He was far from safe. If he wanted to survive, he'd have to concentrate on outrunning the Anbu, not reminiscing on such pleasant memories. Not just Konoha's Anbu squad was after him, but so were any other shinobi that Konoha could hire.

He let his kunai slip through his finger tips and drop to the ground as he sped through the dark forest. Lightning struck out at the sky above him, and peals of thunder rolled through the clouds. He could hear the rain hitting the ground far below him like a heard of thousands of horses.

Gone was Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha who held on to that dream of achieving the impossible. Gone was his ideology of friendship and happiness. This new person was different. And there was only one thing on his mind…revenge.


	2. A Mission

The atmosphere of Konoha was very somber as people made their way home from a long day of hard work. Just a few wandered around drunk and confused. And apart from the wails of the few children who were still trying to keep their parents from sending them home, everything looked and sounded calm for the night.

A girl with midnight blue hair that flowed down her back was walking calmly. She'd been instructed to approach the Hokage for an emergency mission. Annoyingly enough, the Anbu messenger had awakened her from a pleasant dream to instruct her of the Hokage's wishes.

She sighed as a breeze nipped at her cheeks and lips, sending out her hair behind her with the beautiful undulations of a starry night sky. She smoothed it down and quickened her pace when she felt like she might be tardy. There was no need to make people feel more disappointed in her than they already were.

She passed by people who were seemingly happy and minding their own business. She wondered what it would be like to feel that happy and at peace…to be loved? She cast the thought from her mind as soon as it appeared. There was no need to continue dwelling on the past.

"Hinata." She snapped alert and looked to her left to see Sakura approaching her. Beside her was Shikamaru, who looked like he was about to fall asleep while he walked. The Nara genius looked at the Hyuga heiress and sighed.

"You've been called too, huh?" He asked, doubtful that this mission would be any less troublesome than its predecessors. He yawned loudly, indifferent as usual to the conversation around him.

The trio made their way to the Hokage's office where they met Shino and Kakashi. For a moment, they were all disturbed at the prospect that Kakashi was actually present on time. He usually had a black cat crossing his path or an old woman to help. They drew their attention to the Hokage when he cleared his throat.

Danzo, who sat quietly at his desk, looking through a handful of papers. The old man was stoic as always, feeling obliged to remain the enigma he was proud to be. When he finally decided to give his attention the shinobi he called before them, he grunted and sighed deeply.

"I called you here for a very important reason. There is a person I wish for you five to accompany on his journey to Iwagakure. A rather peculiar mission, yes."

Everyone remained silent as Danzo related the details of their mission to the shinobi; they were to guard this man from the Land of Earth to the Land of Lightning. For both Kakashi and Shikamaru, this mission peaked their intellectual interest. Usually, a mission of this status wouldn't require a team like this. And usually, two geniuses wouldn't be thrown together on the same mission. Two geniuses meant slow decision making, which would affect the length of the mission. Despite their deep contemplations, Kakashi and Shikamaru kept their thoughts to themselves.

Danzo slid the manila envelope to Kakashi, the team leader, who calmly took up the file opened it. From the content, everything was actually normal, a simple B-rank mission. The client was a man named Kazuo Anzai, a simple civilian. If this was the case, then why was protection needed? Danzo seemed to sense the famous copy ninja's question.

"The protection of this man is key to this mission. He has information of the utmost importance that must be delivered at all costs." Danzo spoke with a smooth, yet calculated voice, as if he were informing a team of genin that their first mission involved finding a lost cat. He turned in his chair to look through the window at the village. His village. The city seemed to be sleeping, like it was under some genjutsu. His mind wandered to the white-haired sanin who was always away on self-appointed mission. Danzo had to make sure the information stayed hidden. "You move in an hour." He said quietly, his back facing them. The shinobi turned to leave and pack up for the journey.

"Kakashi…wait behind." Danzo stated, causing Kakashi to pause and allow the others to walk out. After everyone had left, Danzo turned and faced him.

"Hatake Kakashi, there is absolutely no room for failure on this mission, if not for your team's safety, then for the sake of a good alliance between Iwagakure and Konoha." Danzo's voice was rigid and serious, but he abruptly nodded for Kakashi to leave.

Kakashi bowed to show respect and left slowly. To him, this mission was something else entirely. He had an eerie hunch that the reason they were to leave at this hour of night was for it to be as secret as possible. He let the worry that snuck into his mind remain there. It would make him cautious, the key element of survival on a mission like this.

* * *

A figure stood quietly on top of a tree, checking his surrounding to see if he'd out run his trackers. He looked up at the night sky and gazed at the sight in wonder. The sky was so beautiful, studded with millions of gleaming stars. These stars were his only friends now. They never thought anything bad of him, or believed him to be guilty of anything.

A kunai whizzed and imbedded itself in his chest.

The clone exploded in a swirling cloud of smoke. Another figure erupted from the shadows of a tree with a kunai in hand and headed toward his pursuers. He sent the kunai flying but one of his adversaries blocked it…and noticed the explosive tag too late.

Debris flew everywhere as two Anbu emerged from the smoke of the explosion. They were already panting from exhaustion. They'd been hunting this person for so long that they hadn't gotten a chance to rest. A figure landed in front of them, his face covered in the shadows of the night. However, his forehead protector was plainly visible. It was slashed but it was recognizable.

"Give up already?" The shadow asked in a calm tone. He was clearly surprised by the weakness he'd brought onto his Anbu pursuers. He had one severely injured and two almost totally drained of their chakra.

He smiled. He wasn't going to kill them, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to have some fun with them. He took out a kunai and formed a seal. Two clones appeared in a puff of smoke, one on either side. Without warning, they charged toward the Anbu. The sharp clash of kunai on kunai rang out through the forest. One Anbu was soon close enough to kill one of the clones…ready to slash it away…

But in a fierce turn of events, the clone exploded, throwing the Anbu down hard on the ground. The single remaining Anbu glanced around at the others and looked at the criminal standing before him, not a single scratch on him. It seemed like he was smiling at the Anbu's willingness to still fight even though at a pitiful disadvantage.

The figure turned his back.

"I'll leave you to take care of your friends," he said and turned into another cloud of swirling smoke. He left the Anbu behind, stunned. They'd been following and fighting a clone all along.

Far from the scene of skirmish, the creator of the clones was stoic, standing stock still, and looking at the shadows around him as the memories of the clones came into his mind. He slowly removed his hood and allowed the night air to kiss his face and mousse spiky hair. Uzumaki Naruto. He looked at the sky again. Really, the sky seemed like the only friend he had.

He turned to face the road before him. His next stop was Kusagakure, and, if possible, he would make his way to Iwagakure too. Sasuke and Orochimaru couldn't run forever. Naruto would make sure of that. He smiled and within a second, he was gone, leaping from tree to tree, allowing his actions during his criminal life go through his mind. He spent every time he had chasing after Sasuke and Orochimaru trying to find them. He'd met his old friend once and the fight had not been what he'd expected.

-FLASHBACK-

Naruto stood calmly in the dark hall. Shadows of flickering flames danced across the walls. He looked at his rival, Uchiha Sasuke, who looked at him with no emotion registered on his face. He wanted nothing more than to grab the arrogant Uchiha and bash his face in. It had been a year since he left Konoha and now he was here facing the true criminal, the one who murdered his one and only mother figure he had, Tsunade. He frowned deeply.

"Sasuke, I guess you know why I'm here, right?" Naruto whispered as he lowered his hand to look at the ground before him. It hadn't been easy finding and infiltrating Orochimaru's hideout but now that he was here, he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

"The reason for you being here doesn't move me in the slightest." Naruto snapped alert and looked at Sasuke. The Uchiha had his back to him and was walking away. As if he, Naruto, was nothing worth his time.

"SASUKE, DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON ME," he shouted, causing the Uchiha prodigy to stop. He didn't turn around.

"Naruto, you being here is an waste of time. You will never equate to me. You're an incompetent, incapable fool. Just leave before you humiliate yourself further." Sasuke's mocking caused Naruto's obvious anger to boil over. Without hesitation, the young blonde man drew a kunai, ready to attack.

"Too slow."

Naruto spun around to see Sasuke crouched behind him, drawing his Kusinagi sword. He was fast. Naruto did the only thing he could…defend. But…

"Too obvious," Sasuke whispered.

He quickly pulled back his sword and viciously attacked Naruto with a kick that sent him tumbling back with a groan. Slowly, Naruto stood up and wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand. Sasuke was fast…really fast. He got ready again, summoning four clones.

Sasuke just sighed upon seeing this. Naruto felt like the thorn in his side, the gnat in his ear, fly buzzing around him. He didn't even activate his sharingan, but within a second, all of Naruto's clones were gone, except one. He again removed his sword and created space between Naruto and him. Naruto frowned. He knew Sasuke was strong, maybe more than he was.

"Come!" Sasuke demanded, motioning for his opponent to attack him. Naruto charged toward him, drawing out two kunai and slashing wildly. "Asinine," he scoffed. Sasuke easily dodged the strikes and slashed at his old friend.

A cloud of smoke blinded him. It was a clone he struck at. Sasuke turned around just in time to block a kick from Naruto. He retaliated with his own fury of punches, each hit connecting with the painful sound of knuckle on flesh. Naruto winced in pain with each strike, but refused to give up. He did his best to defend himself but failed miserably. He tried to punch him, but Sasuke vanished and reappeared several yards in front of him. The Uchiha slid his sword back into its sheath and looked at Naruto.

"Killing him is useless, just render him unconscious…" Before Naruto could make sense of what Sasuke said, he felt a prick on his neck and then everything turned black.

-FLASH BACK ENDS-

Naruto smiled to himself from the memories of how weak he'd fought with Sasuke. But not anymore. He was different now. He took another leap, then vanished from sight.

He was faster now.

Special thanks goes to Daelyn Paolini for helping me get back


	3. A Whisker

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura looked up at Kakashi, who was quietly reading his Icha Icha novel as they walked quietly down a path.

They'd left the village hours ago and were moving at a considerably fast pace. The sun had already risen high above them, giving the impression of the day being near noon. Hinata and Shikamaru were far back, positioning the client walk in the middle of the group where it was safest. Kakashi looked from his book to the pink haired medical shinobi.

"Don't you think this mission is a tad suspicious?" She asked, causing the famous copy ninja to close his book and shove it into his pouch.

Underneath the navy mask, he was frowning. Sakura was right. This mission didn't give off a particularly 'normal' feel to him. He gave Sakura a smile with his one visible eye.

"Eh, I'd have to answer that question with a _no_. I don't really see anything strange about this mission, Sakura. We're just accompanying this fine man to his village, and then we'll be one our way home. Nothing to worry about. We'll be in and out before you know it," he lied, attempting to ease her nerves as best he could. He felt a fatherly need to shield her from the threats this mission posed.

He took this opportunity to steal a glimpse of the client who walked without words. He was rather an old looking man who wore his beard down to the center of his round chest. With a simple once over, one could tell he was a rich politician or something of the like. But there was something unnervingly off about him. Sighing, Kakashi let his mind drift to what the man was delivering. Since he had no packages, he suspected that the so called "delivery man" was holding information in a physically inaccessibly location. He looked away and faced the path ahead of them. They'd be in Iwagakure soon from where they stood across the border. This was the best option for them. He took out his book and flipped it to chapter three and read it silently. It was the only way he could drown the worry from his mind.

Hinata caught up to Shikamaru's side. He seemed to stumble every few minutes.

This was the first time in months that she'd been sent on a mission outside the Fire Country. She sighed but became confused when she heard a deep snore. She looked over at Shikamaru and was shocked to see his eyes closed. Maybe he was in deep thought, she guessed. She giggled when she heard the Nara genius snore again.

She watched the client walking in front of them. From what she saw, she easily realized that the man wasn't as rich as he looked. From her first-hand experience of living in royalty, she could easily tell which one was real and which one was just an act. She hummed and looked at the ground, letting her thoughts drift away. Lately, she wasn't as happy as she would like to be. She hadn't been. Not since _he_ left the village.

"I don't…kn-know…anything…else…I-I swear." This came from a man tied to a chair.

His bottom lip was cut open, and he was missing multiple teeth. One of his eyes was swollen to the size of half a fist. Several bleeding cuts marred his face weathered. He had been beaten, and tortured, and brutalized. He sat slumped over in his chair, prevented to shift to a more comfortable position by the cutting ropes. Another punch landed dead on his nose, snapping it in the process. Blood oozed out of both nostrils. He groaned from the pain and struggled to get out his next words.

"Stop. Please. I'll…I'll talk," he whispered, hoping it would lessen the throbbing pain all over his body. There was no relief in his situation. He spat out blood onto the floor.

The figure standing tall before him cracked his knuckles. His face was covered by a mask. Behind the mask, the figure smiled from the job he'd done to the man.

"You haven't told me everything. Spill it. Now." He stepped back, giving the man a chance to breathe. When he saw the hesitation in his eyes, the masked man drew out a kunai and showed it to him. To his dissatisfaction, that was enough of a threat for the man.

"The-The Tsukage is…expecting information…to be… delivered-" the man took a large gasp of air, finding it difficult to speak- "to him maybe…to-tomorrow…or the day after." The man kept his eyes away from the source of his torment. The masked man waited for more information, but it seemed that the man was being hesitant. He took a step closer.

"The information is from the Kage of Konoha, Danzo Shimura," the man added quickly with a painful gasp. For a moment, it seemed that the masked man was in thought. He looked back at his victim.

"What does that have to do with the involvement of Iwagakure with Akatsuki and Otogakure?" The assailant seemed to lose his patience when the man didn't answer straight away. He was ready to give another beating to him but restrained himself.

"I-I don't know…I honestly don't know," the man said as his head sunk down in defeat. The masked figure sighed and began to walk away but stopped when the man spoke.

"What about my family?" He asked. The masked man kept his smile to himself. It was always easy to break people, even the most loyal ones.

"I never did touch your family," he said sarcastically, and walked out of the room, not caring about untying the man. He was sure someone would find and free him anytime soon. He was one of the civilian council members of Iwagakure, after all, so there'd be shinobi looking for him.

When he shut the front door of the building behind himself, he took off his mask to reveal his face. His blond hair almost shined in the afternoon sun, as if it had been deprived of sunlight. He blinked from the assault of the blinding rays of light. Wearing a mask wasn't his choice, but the occasion called for it. He turned and descended down the stairs dressing the front porch.

His mind drifted to the message from Konoha. He was sure that the current Hokage wouldn't send such pertinent information without protection. From his experience, he knew that the way into Iwa would mean crossing the border into the Earth Country. He smiled as an idea came to mind. He turned on the path and began his stealthy pursuit.

* * *

A white haired man sat calmly sipping some sake in a bar full of ruffians and noise. He quickly poured himself another cup and gulped it down. Looking at the three shinobi sitting and drinking at a table in the far corner, he could see their forehead protectors. He smiled smugly and quickly stood up from his seat, walking with the usual clacks that issued from his shoe following him.

By the time the shinobi noticed his approach it was too late. Instantly, all three ninja were down, gasping out a single word.

"Sanin!"

Jiraiya, one of the last remaining two of the legendary sanin stood above the bound bodies of three shinobi. He had questions that needed answering, and the well-being of these shinobi depended on the answers they gave him. He needed to make sure Akatsuki and the other countries kept their hands from his godchild. He'd been on missions collection information ever since Naruto had been chased out of Konoha with the threat of death. Not even Danzo as he was could stop Jiraiya the Perverted Sanin from doing what he deemed was right. He was sure there was foul play somewhere, and he was keen on finding out.

* * *

Naruto sat in an open restaurant, noisily slurping ramen as if his life depended on it. He'd been sitting there for only thirty minutes, yet he'd already consumed seven bowls. Sure they weren't as tasty as he thought they'd be compared to Ichiraku, but it was still ramen and that could never change. He made sure his face was hidden from any prying eyes, yet in such a way that he could see everyone walking into the restaurant and on the huge dirt road behind him from the reflection in the corner of his eye.

He smiled when he saw five figures walking in the distance. They weren't very close, but he could still make out their appearances. He instantly knew who they were. He subtly returned his attention to his ramen and brought the nearly empty bowl to his mouth and gulped down the remaining soup. He raised his hand, signaling for the waiter to come. He presented a bill to her and remained seated until the figures became clearer.

For most, these four people seemed like any ordinary shinobi. There was nothing of considerable note, but he knew who and how strong they were. Hatake Kakashi, his old team leader and a famous sharingan wielding copy ninja who'd been rumored to have over a thousand jutsu in his arsenal. Haruno Sakura, his old crush and a great medical ninja…not to forget the insane strength she'd learned from Tsunade. Nara Shikamaru, a friend who had the ability to control his shadow and an extremely intelligent person to boot. And then there was Hyuga Hinata with her eyes passed down the generation of Hyugas. She'd grown rather beautiful. Naruto smiled to himself as his gaze settled on the old looking man in the middle. Surely he was the informant.

As the figures passed near where Naruto sat, Kakashi couldn't help but feel that he was being watched. He looked to where Naruto was sitting. There was no one there. He could have sworn that some one was there but shrugged it off.

On top of a nearby building stood the real Naruto, who looked down at his old friends and comrades. The clone had done his job well in giving him a general description of the shinobi he knew all too well. To get that man, he'd have to take additional precautions and make sure to avoid their attention. He knew that once they sensed his presence his mission was in threat of utter failure.

He quickly moved from his vantage point to another spot, keeping as far away as possible. But the attention he was most afraid of attracting was that of one very important and powerful pair of eyes.

Well, since he, Naruto, was a very unpredictable person, he'd do exactly what they wouldn't expect a shinobi to do. He pulled his hood over his head and covered the upper part of his face. He immediately summoned five clones in preparation for his attack.

Hinata sighed as they walked a leisurely pace through the city. Seeing people as happy as these always made her jealous. She looked to Shikamaru who had an obvious frown.

"Shikamaru. Wha-What's wrong?" She wore her worry plainly on her delicate face. For a moment, Shikamaru seemed disturbed, but faced Hinata with his normal lazy expression.

"Nothing, Hinata. Say, I'll be back in a moment," he said, and jogged to Kakashi's side.

The two shinobi spoke in hushed whispers for a while. Hinata couldn't help but feel that something was happening, that something was definitely wrong. If this was the case, the biggest problem was being attacked amongst all of these civilians. Danger. Danger everywhere, was all Hinata could think when she looked at the faces of the individuals who passed her.

She kept her pace when she noticed Sakura was slowing down. When Sakura was beside her, the two walked together in the most inconspicuous manner they could manage. It seemed that something was bugging the pinkette kunoichi as well. From the expression on her face, Hinata could tell something heavy was definitely weighing on her mind. For a second, Hinata felt like she was the only one left out.

"Sakura?" She asked in her tender voice when Sakura didn't speak. Hinata touched her arm. Sakura blinked and looked at Hinata questionably. "Is something wrong?" Sakura looked hesitant, unsure of herself.

"I think we're being followed. They've picked up on that, too." Sakura gestured in Kakashi and Shikamaru's direction, then looked away, letting her eyes glance at her surroundings.

Hinata thought for a second. Using byakugan would be useful, but due to their populated surroundings, she wouldn't be able to pinpoint one as a spy. She closed her eyes and formed a seal. Chakra rushed into her eyes, causing veins to stand out on her cheekbones.

"Byakugan," she whispered, and opened her eyes. Instantly her vision exploded to a full three hundred and fifty-nine degrees. She could see the chakra vessels of each individual person around them, but it was impossible to pick any one out as their pursuer.

"They're coming from above!" She shouted when she noticed the rippling chakra of the figures dropping down from the sky.

Before any of them could react, four cloaked figures landed around their client and faced them. Upon seeing this, the civilians began fleeing in all directions, knowing full well the threat of a bloody battle when shinobi fought. The four hooded figures charged at a single target for each of them. Before anyone could react accordingly, another figure landed beside the client and tucked him under his arm before he leapt away, taking to the roof with a screaming man. A second figure bound the man and was leaping fast from roof to roof, trying to create a distance as much distance between him an the Leaf shinobi as possible. On the ground, Hinata struck the person attacking her with a gentle fist.

At the first attack of each Konoha native against their attackers, the shadowy figures puffed into smoke. Shadow clones. A diversion.

"Let's move," Kakashi said with a hard voice, leaping into the air in the direction their client had been taken. His three juniors followed him with expert agility and confidence in their leader.

Within an instant, they were in sight of the kidnapper. They each pushed their legs as hard as they could, working hard in their game of catch-up. Kakashi reached into his pouch and drew out a kunai. He formed a seal and soon the kunai was fused with Raikiri. He threw it, and in the distance, the figure disappeared into a cloud of opaque smoke, dropping the client onto a roof. As quickly as was possible, they were soon standing over the man and helping him up. Sakura crouched next to him and examined him for any major injuries. She found only bruises and scrapes.

"Do you feel alright? Any internal pain at all?" She asked the silent man, gently pressing against his rib cage and in certain areas of his abdomen. She looked at Kakashi who was exposing his eyes, one blood red and both glaring angrily into the distance.

Hinata gasped from the sight of the figure again as it landed before them on the opposite roof. From her sight she could see the amount of chakra in him. She'd only seen one person with that much chakra. But then again, there were lots of people with great amounts of chakra, right? Shikamaru crouched low and formed a seal as she gazed in wonder at the figure whose cloak billowed out behind him in the breeze.

"Shadow mimicking in a situation like this would be useless," the figure said in an alarmingly booming voice. There was something in that voice that caused Hinata to flinch, but she brushed the unsettling though off.

"Attacking in the midst of civilians. That's a very unwise thing to do," Kakashi retorted as he glared at the figure, sending a great enough murderous intent to make anyone flinch. But whoever the stranger was, he simply smiled and kept his cool.

"I wouldn't say that since it obviously worked," the stranger said, his hood covering part of his face but exposing his mouth, which was beaming with a huge, pearly smile. Kakashi and Shikamaru seemed puzzled by what his words. Shikamaru slowly stood from his crouched position.

"How can you say it worked when you didn't obtain your target?" Shikamaru's voice was laced with obvious irritation, feeling like the current scene was incredibly troublesome. He suspected something but he wasn't positive what…but something wasn't right.

"Didn't I?" The stranger said with sarcasm, a huge beaming smile gracing his round face.

The client at their feet was gone, replaced by wisps of smoke.

"Shadow clones…they can be _such_ a darn nuisance, huh?" The stranger pumped his fist at his side in mock disappointment.

"I'd have to agree with you on that one." The figure spun around just in time to see Kakashi standing behind him, his sharingan glaringly visible. From what Kakashi could see, it seemed the stranger was smiling. He hit him, but this one turned out to be another clone as well.

"Shit…."

"You should really try harder next time," the stranger scoffed at them all.

They spun around to look at the roof on the opposite side of the street behind them. The Leaf shinobi frowned, knowing this was a bad turn for their mission. Hinata noticed something that made her mouth drop. A whisker mark was visible underneath the stranger's large hood. Maybe the others couldn't see it, but she was certain that it was what she thought it was and that it was definitely there.

"I bid you farewell," the stranger spoke in a thick voice, then disappeared.

For a painstakingly long moment, everyone was silent, not knowing how to proceed. They all looked to Kakashi, who kept a steady face as he covered his sharingan. He didn't seem to be too worried. He bit his thumb and formed a seal…Boar → Dog → Bird → Monkey → Ram…he slammed his palm on the ground….

"Summoning Technique," he said to himself. Suddenly, a dog appeared in a cloud of smoke from the ground. Everyone knew it as Pakun.

"Kakashi-sensei, what're we going to do?" Sakura looked as anxious as everyone felt.

Shikamaru knew what was next already. In order to find their client, they'd need to track him and Kakashi had placed a scent on him sometime during the episode with the stranger.

"Pakun, I need you to track someone," he said and brought a small ball before the dog. He smelled the sphere and began sniffing the air around them.

"I've found it," he said, and leapt away with the others following.

Hinata was confused. She wasn't sure what she'd seen but she was confused. Had she really seen a whisker on the stranger's cheek? She only knew of one person with whisker marks on his face.

"Naruto-kun," she whispered to the wind which rushed around them.

* * *

Naruto stood over the bound figure of the informant he had just acquired. He smiled deeply as he removed his hood to make his face visible in the last rays of the setting sun.

"Y-Y-You," the man stammered in horror, causing Naruto's smile to broaden. Slowly it vanished and was replaced by a serious line. He cracked his knuckles.

"How do you feel about a game of Answer My Questions?" He whispered to the man in a menacing voice.


	4. A Kunai

Blood splattered everywhere at the sound of flesh beating flesh, bruising and battering the captive until he was unrecognizable. The bleeding man groaned and wheezed the longer he spent with his tormentor. He grunted, almost screaming out as another series of punches and kicks landed all over his body without sparing any mercy.

"TALK NOW. TELL ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW." Naruto spat in the man's face as he screamed at him, shattering the silence of the sleeping forest around them. Enraged, he delivered a furious kick to the old man's guts, enough to cause a pain so agonizing he thought he might die. Naruto was nowhere near letting this man die anytime soon. His frown deepened as the situation he put himself in now seemed pointless.

Damn him. Damn everyone, Naruto thought as he kicked the man again, now out of spite instead of necessity. The old man opened his mouth to scream but no sound came out. Just gurgling, as if he were choking on his own spit and blood. Naruto's eyes twinkled as something caught his attention. He crouched beside the tied up man and forcibly opened his mouth.

"Stop. Stop it. Stop moving!" Naruto belted in his rage.

His frown changed into seriousness when he saw what he most feared at that moment. Right on the man's wriggling tongue was a character that read Silence, which Naruto suspected was a seal meant to prevent the man from speaking. There was no way the old man could speak while this seal was on his tongue.

Naruto had to find another way to get information. He was displeased with the new idea that snaked its way into his mind, but he had no other choice. He was about to speak when memories from one of his clones deep in the forest toward Kusa hit him in full scale. Kakashi and his team were tracking him. Damn, and he didn't have enough time to think over his plan. He sighed deeply as he spared a final glance at the tied up man. There was no other choice but to leave him there. With a glare, he vanished into the trees, leaping from branch to branch and causing the nocturnal animals to scuttle away in fear. Naruto quickened his pace. He would have to keep his distance, yet still keep an eye on his pursuers. With a grin, he vanished, allowing the forest to swallow him into oblivion.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi landed behind Pakun. At last they had found the client. Sakura, Hinata, and Shikamaru landed seconds later. On seeing the old man tied up and battered, Sakura ran to his side to easily tear the bonds from the man. A green glow covered her hand as she healed the freely bleeding wounds around the man's head. He groaned, but was compliant and remained wordless as usual. Kakashi looked to Pakun with a questioning expression.

"Seems like the person who attacked you and your team has escaped. I can't pick his scent up anywhere. He must have covered it with chakra," Pakun said in his gruff voice. Kakashi nodded and looked at Sakura who was healing their client. He dismissed Pakun who vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Kakashi-san?" Kakashi turned to face Shikamaru. The Nara genius had lost his indifferent lethargic disposition, replacing it with a serious grimace. Kakashi nodded and walked with him to a distant part of the clearing, well out of earshot of the others. There they spoke.

"From what's just happened, I suggest we reconsider our initial strategy with this mission...An evaluation would be just as well," Shikamaru quickly added when he saw the skeptical expression on Kakashi's face.

"We'll set up camp for the night and talk about it later. We should give the others a chance to recuperate before we decide on anything," Kakashi said as he fished out his novel from its hiding place among his many pockets. Setting up camp was the best idea he could think of. Rest would help everyone on the team and give them an edge in battle. He faced the dark forest and let the hair-raising worry trickle down his spine.

Meanwhile, Hinata stood beside Sakura, who was crouching on the ground nearby their charge. The Hyuga heiress shivered from the cold breeze that really wasn't enough to bring out such a reaction. Truthfully, her mind was not anywhere near where she stood. She was deep in thought about the stranger they had fought earlier that day. She could have sworn on her soul that she saw a whisker on his cheek. And with the way the man could use Kage Bushin, she had her suspicions set on who it could be. She looked into the forest dark as pitch and the darkness seeped into her. If it was truly who she thought it was, then he seemed to have changed a lot. She drew her attention to the night sky. The moon was bright enough to almost shine the worry away from her, but only that. Almost.

"Hinata."

She flinched as she was recalled back to her body upon hearing Kakashi call her name. She faced the team leader.

"We'll be camping here for the night. You should probably help the others set up." He didn't take his eyes from his book.

He couldn't notice the worry in Hinata's face. There was no change in her behavior. Hinata nodded and bowed politely before walking away to do as she was told. Helping Shikamaru and Sakura didn't get her mind off the issue at hand, nor did it calm her down enough to slow the thoughts buzzing around in her mind.

* * *

The night sky was a vast ocean of serenity, seeming to bring bleary peace to everyone who looked up. But to the legendary toad sage Jiraiya, the night was far from peaceful. He was on his way to Konoha to confirm his fears. Dropping from the trees and landing calmly on the ground, he bolted down the path that inevitably led to the Hidden Leaf Village. He frowned at the memories that hit him like a nasty blow from Tsunade would.

-FLASHBACK-

In a bar, one man of three shinobi was the first to notice him. Jiraiya couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face, which was largely focused on the man with the Konoha forehead protector. The other two who wore Iwa forehead protectors seemed to cower in fear from just the name. It wasn't always that someone met the toad sage, right?

"Hmmm, so when did Konoha start to get friendly with Iwagakure shinobi?" He asked with a frown. The three cowering shinobi knew better than to answer or try to escape. But Jiraiya would have loved to see them try.

"Ji-Jiraiya-s-sama." The supposed Konoha affiliate stammered, trying to stand from his seat, but it was too late. His head was quickly smashed down onto the table, and with blood oozing from his broken nose, he reeled back into his seat.

Upon seeing this, everyone else in the bar decided it was best not to get involved and make a hasty escape. Soon the bar was empty, save the four shinobi. Jiraiya smiled. He drew a drop of blood from his thumb and formed several seals.

"Summoning Jutsu," he whispered as he slammed his palm on the floor. Instantly, the room was coated with pink fleshy tissue that seemed to pulsate as if to some horrific song. The perverted sanin smiled at the obvious fear that marred the faces of the shinobi. They'd obviously be easy to break.

-FLASHBACK ENDS-

And they really were easy to break. The Iwa shinobi were to obtain information from Danzo whilst the Konoha sent information to Iwa. (Or wherever they're sending it to, I forgot; it's best to specify these types of things as it gives the story a little depth.) Danzo was careless, or stressed and left with no other choice. The information was simple; it was "the package is en route". From his investigation, Jiraiya already knew about the obvious alliance between Iwa and Kumo. He also knew about Iwa's affiliation with Akatsuki. And by simple deduction, he could easily ascertain that Iwa was allied with both Kumo and Akatsuki. So, why was being Konoha involved? What was Danzo planning?

Jiraiya frowned, filled with anxiety, and increased his speed as he dashed through the murky forest. He would be at his destination soon.

* * *

A rather short old man floated effortlessly in the air space of his office. Iwa was particularly calm at night, and this always helped him relax, brought back the concept of peace into his old mind. He was the Tsukage.

"Worried?"

The Tsukage snapped alert and looked to the side of his office not touched by the dancing candle lights. He knew the origins of the voice.

"I do not have the capability to worry; however, I have an adept power to sense stupid ideas," he said, keeping his hard gaze aimed at the darkest corner of his office. He knew exactly who was there, and, even though he would never admit it, this person unsettled him like no one else could.

The stranger hidden in the darkness seemed to chuckle at the dubious reaction the Tsukage gave to his plan.

"How satirical of you," the darkness said to himself with breathy laughter. "I assure you, my plans are anything but stupid," he said proudly, moving almost invisibly in the darkness. This time, it was the Tsukage's time to chuckle, and he didn't even try to hide it.

"What makes you so certain that your plan will work perfectly? Simply with my cooperation, is that it?" The Tsukage was now floating over his desk. The hidden stranger took a step out of the shadows, exposing his feet which were partially covered by the fringe of his robe dark as a void.

"Why, simply because you have no other choice." The eerily cheery response from the darkness was unnerving. "With a disagreement from you, I'll make sure your fears become reality." The stranger spoke in a matter-of-fact tone before receding back into the comfort of the shadows. This seemed to rouse the repressed anger within the Tsukage. He despised being accused of harboring fear.

"Shinobi have no fear," he said in a spiteful voice, sending a glare to the shadow in the darkness.

"Hmmm, a very interesting point. But do civilians have the same fearless attitude toward death?" The shadow eagerly threatened. The Tsukage nearly to cower in fear at this prospect; not for himself, but for the civilians which were his charges. He directed his killing intent into the shadows.

"Now that that's been taken care of, it seems that Danzo's answer isn't in yet. I suggest a retriever," the shadowed stranger said with a slight trace of sarcasm.

"I'll send shinobi to-"

"Don't worry about that," the stranger quickly supplied. "I'll send my own retriever," he added off-handedly.

At that moment, the door opened as if on cue and a second unfamiliar figure stepped into the room. It was a man with deep purple hair that reached the small of his back. His eyes, the color of wet tree bark after a fierce storm, were set on a perfectly square and handsome face. The only obvious disfigurement the Tsukage could immediately find was the slanted scar on his right cheek. He looked indifferent, like he wasn't entirely there with them in the room, but lost in some engrossing reverie. He wore the customary Akatsuki robe and stood proudly. From a moment, it looked as if the flickering light from the candles were cowering in fear of his presence.

"Naoki, one of my most trusted," the stranger said as way of introduction between the Tsukage and the emotionless newcomer. At a glance, Naoki looked like an average civilian. But to the trained eye of a shinobi, nothing was hidden from the Tsukage. There was something powerful about the man who neither frowned nor smiled.

"He will see to the retrieval of the information, and also cut any loose ends." The Tsukage was still in deep thought about the stranger before him, and was unable to respond. "Naoki, track the informant through the chakra signature of Danzo's seals and bring only the information," the shadow instructed, receiving a nod from Naoki.

"What about witnesses and the Konoha shinobi who might be guarding the messenger?" Naoki spoke in a deep but clear voice which lacked any trace of human emotions.

"Ahh, yes. The Leaf Shinobi. Killing them is the only option. Since you do not exist, remain only a shadow, like me," the shadowed figure said and smiled deeply when he saw his trusted servant disappear in a blur of black.

Naoki was fast, much faster than anyone knew and was extremely dangerous. No one could survive his attack. The shadow man looked at the Tsukage who was still staring at the closed door. There was one thing left to do. The Tsukage turned around, oblivious to the shadow's actions until it was too late. He gazed into a frightening and blood red sharingan. Everything faded around him as his memory of Naoki was erased. With no recollection of the mysterious mercenary, he stumbled into his seat and groaned from the headache.

"Seems our meeting is complete." The shadowed figure vanished in a swirl.

The Tsukage was now alone in his office.

* * *

Hyuga Hinata sat on a log outside the tent made for both herself and Sakura. It was her time to guard while the others slept. She idly looked around, letting the warmth of the flickering fire before her caress her pale skin. A yawn escaped her lips once she activated her byakugan. Immediately, the enlarged vision and range hit her, causing her to gasp. Deep into the forest, she could see a figure slumped against a tree. She could clearly see the chakra pathways. Whoever it was was deep in sleep. Shakily, she stood up and moved, not wanting to wake the others.

She pushed her way deeper and deeper through the thickets, making sure not to deactivate her Dojutsu. She was close now and could hear the faint snores from the figure. She deactivated her eyes as she approached the sleeping body. From the whitewashed light the moon reflected onto the forest, she could see that it was definitely the same person they'd faced earlier. She took another step...another step...another st-

Snap.

She stepped on a twig. She looked to her feet and looked back to...the figure was gone. Her heart doubled its pace, threatening to tear through her ribcage with its desperate ferocity.

She reached for her weapons pouch.

"Not a good idea."

She froze. The voice was different somehow. It sounded more familiar, edging on cordial. It made her shiver. It couldn't be...just couldn't be. Slowly, she began to turn around and met the same hooded face, and again she could see whiskers. The kunai in the hand of the figure strangely felt harmless to her; in her mind there was a voice cooing, no threat. She opened her mouth to speak.

"Shadow possession successful."

Hinata's eyes widened at the sound of Shikamaru's voice. Behind the figure was a thin, reaching shadow connecting with his. Shikamaru was crouched on the other end of the wormy shadow. It seemed that the moonlight had helped him complete his family technique. Hinata took a step backwards and was about to speak when something caught her attention. The figure wasn't panicking like every other victim of Shikamaru's shadow manipulation.

"Well done, Shikamaru, Hinata," Kakashi said as he appeared beside the Hyuga heiress staring at the immobilized figure. "Who are you?" Kakashi spoke with a hard tone that would send most any shinobi running with their tail tucked, but this question seemed only to elicit laughter from the stranger.

"Seems like everyone forgets a fellow shinobi once in a while." The figure spared a quick glance at Hinata. His plan was working perfectly. With a deeper smile, he vanished in a puff of smoke, bringing Kakashi to his senses. If the person here was a clone, then...he looked at Hinata. The Hyuga heiress knew exactly what Kakashi's expression meant, and activated her Dojutsu.

"He's headed for the camp site," she almost shouted.

"Shit..."

They raced back toward the campsite thinking he was the only threat. By the time Kakashi and his team arrived, they noticed that no one was there. It was peaceful, even. He looked to Hinata.

"H-He's gone," she said helplessly.

Kakashi nodded. The one Hinata must have seen was a clone. Sakura stepped out of her tent.

"What's wrong?" She asked, sensing that something was wrong. Kakashi was about to speak when something caught his attention.

"Scatter!" He shouted and leaped out of the way right before a kunai embedded itself in the center of their camp and exploded. When the smoke settled, a figure donning an Akatsuki robe stood before them. His eyes were deep brown like upturned earth.

"Who are you?" Kakashi slowly drew a kunai, his guard up at the sight of the Akatsuki member. This was not good at all.

"No one."

Kakashi gasped as a voice sounded behind him. He spun around just in time to see a kunai hurtling through the air toward him. He cursed under his breath, too slow to react.


	5. A Moonbeam

Here's the new chapter...so read and review and I'd also be glad if i get some feedback about the character i introduced in it. Again, thanks to my Beta, Daelyn Paolini for the awesome work.

Review Replies:

Kingkal: This novel is not actually based on any timeline. It's rather a random situation i set up to lead through one epic story twist...hope i answered you.

HeleKiller2: Well, a thousand word apology is a bit too much for me...so can't i just use two words?..."am sorry?"...lol

Kakashi groaned in pain as he pulled the kunai from his abdomen. He replaced the bloody weapon with his hand, keeping pressure on the wound and trying not to loose too much blood. He kept his one uncovered eye on the shrouded enemy at hand. He carefully watched as the clone, which had artfully flung the kunai at him, stepped beside its creator and vanish, fading into a translucent cobalt blue chakra. The energy receded into the original's body. _Impossible chakra control_, Kakashi thought in shock. From simple analysis, the copy ninja noted important aspects of this adversary. Their enemy had incredible chakra control, being able to manipulate chakra extensively. And to make matters worse, it seemed he could reacquire his used chakra with ease.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura's anxious voice rose from behind him, but he didn't have time for such trivialities.

"Not now, Sakura, I'm fine. Keep your mind on the task at hand," he said to brush Sakura's worries aside.

He had sustained more serious injuries before, some of them nearly fatal. This one might hurt like hell and restrict his physical capabilities, but it would not put him down. And now things were getting more and more complicated. He was certainly sure this mission was higher than a B-rank, as it had originally been assigned. Slowly, he exposed his sharingan and let the blood red eye examine the situation. He had no other choice but to put his all in this confrontation.

"Hmmm, getting serious are we?" The man's brown eyes almost instantly turned as cold as ice.

"Sakura, Hinata, guard the client. Shikamaru, you're with me," Kakashi instructed.

His plan was simple as possible but thoroughly effective. Keeping two close combat shinobi at the rear while a long ranged and a long and short ranged shinobi headed the attack was squarely effective in situations.

"Shikamaru, I'll need you to try and restrict his movements."

With a nod, the Nara genius crouched to the ground. His jutsu would have been more effective if there was a brighter source of light than that of the silvery moon looming overhead. Kakashi took out a kunai. He was ready.

The Akatsuki man merely smiled at the cautious preparation practiced before him. His once handsome facial features seemed to twitch, turning his face into something comparable to an expectant smirk. He had to give it to them; they really did know their tactics. Two at the rear and two in front...basic, but effective. The smile on his face slowly vanished. The thought of blood and gore always seemed to bring a smile to his face.

"It seems you are all ready now. But before I begin to dispose of you, I will give you a once in a lifetime opportunity," he said, bringing back his smile like a lion ready to pounce on its unsuspecting prey.

"And that would be?" Kakashi inquired.

"Give me your charge and I promise to make your deaths swift and painless. Believe me you, I am not normally this charitable, but such an incentive should prove moving for you four in this situation," the Akatsuki said in an eerily genuine voice.

"And what if we refuse?"

As if one cue, the ground around the four belted out three explosions as it shattered, bathing them in dust and debris. Kakashi already had an idea what was going on and charged through the rubble and dusty clouds as it all began to settle at a startling rate. He knew from instinct that the enemy was trying to shake them up and make them easy targets.

"What the?" The sharingan wielder hissed when he was abruptly stopped. He looked down to see a whip made entirely of chakra wrap around his leg. He could not move if he...

"You're mine."

Kakashi looked up, his sharingan flaring to find an escape at what was coming toward him. It looked like a kunai but was made from...

"Replacement?" The enemy whispered in no alarm.

He looked at a piece of log with a hole through it in obvious disappointment. Kakashi had been there moments before, but was presently no where in sight. He tried to turn and assess his situation, but found that he couldn't move. His eyes searched and came to a halt at his feet to see his shadow elongated and connected to a young man crouched on the ground several yards off.

"HELL YEAH!" Sakura roared as she charged the immobilized Akatsuki agent. He was now an easy target. She readied her chakra powered punch.

"Release."

A huge blast of pure chakra exploded from the stranger and blew everything away from him as the epicenter. Moments of piercing silence later, he stepped out of the dust, untouched by Shikamaru's possessive shadow. He was entirely unscathed.

"RAIKIRI."

The sound of popping electricity shattered the quiet night as Kakashi thrust his lightning based attack at the enemy. His eyes widened at what happened next.

"Do you see me as weak?" The Akatsuki man asked in a matter-of-fact tone.

The Konoha shinobi leapt back and stared at something he would have pictured as impossible. His lightning attack had met a dome of chakra that surrounded the enemy. What was this? Kakashi wondered as the chakra began receding back into the body of the man. Usually, chakra released form a body dissipated into the atmosphere, but this man managed to draw his chakra back into his pathways. Kakashi threw a glance over his shoulder to see Shikamaru kneeling beside an unconscious Sakura with Hinata near the...

"WATCH OUT!" He shouted helplessly, unable to help the Hyuga from the nearly invisible Akatsuki behind her. What could he do but stare in horror and hope for the best?

Hinata's eyes activated right when Kakashi shouted at her. She silently cursed herself for being so careless and not activating her doujutsu right when the fight had started. She located the figure behind her and swiveled to face him. There was no way she could survive the kunai in his hand. There was no way she could stop the blood pulsing from her chest. There was no way she could catch her breath, stuck in her lungs filling with sloshing, burning blood. As this scene flashed behind her eyelids and before any of it could happen, she felt arms wrap around her waist with a firm chest securing her, and leap with her out of harms way. When they landed on a thick tree limb, her eyes widened when she recognized the face inches from hers.

There was no way in her most twisted nightmare that she could forget the sharp lines of those whiskers, the tanned skin wrapped around a square jaw, and the beautifully sparkling blue eyes that shone even in the dimness of the gossamer moonlight.

"N...Naruto-kun?" She whispered, and roused a smile from her rescuer.

* * *

There was no need to knock, as Jiraiya could easily send the Anbu guards flying and literally kick the door down. Which he did. With a burning gaze, he looked into the room at the man sitting calmly within the office, seemingly unbothered by the splinters of wood scattered around his office that once called themselves a door. Danzo, the Hokage of Konohagakure, was entirely unperturbed by the disturbance, which he viewed as mild at best.

"Jiraiya, to what do I owe the honor of your presence?" Danzo asked, keeping his eyes glued to the stack of papers on his desk. He seemed to be enjoying the title he had so long wished for. This angered Jiraiya.

"Danzo," he spoke out, causing the Hokage to frown at the obvious lack of respect in the way his name was mentioned. "What are you getting Konoha involved in?"

Danzo's eyebrow raised at the question. It looked like there was no expected reaction aggravated from the question. The Hokage knew exactly what Jiraiya was here for, and also knew exactly how to keep it from him, and also to keep his assumed innocence.

"You will need to be a little more specific, Jiraiya," he said as his arms rested calmly on the desk. He kept his eye on Jiraiya, who seemed to Danzo to have a hidden agenda. Jiraiya merely smiled at this, knowing how enjoyable this would end.

"What is the affiliation between Konoha and Iwagakure? And _don't_ tell me that Iwa and Konoha are not connected in any way."

Danzo stiffened. This was the only reaction Jiraiya could notice. Now he knew everything for certain. Kumo, Iwa, and Akatsuki were affiliated, that much he knew from his experiences and investigations on Akatsuki. So if Konoha was involved with Iwa...

"Is Konoha in league with Akatsuki?" The toad sage asked, narrowing his eyes at the Hokage before him. He would give Danzo no choice in giving a believable excuse.

"Konoha doesn't involve itself with criminals like Akatsuki and Iwagakure," Danzo said, trying to act angered by the questions directed to him by the perverted toad sage.

His words and reactions only attracted a deeper smile from Jiraiya. A smile which made his insides flutter with excitement. Now Danzo needed time alone. He needed to think things through and set them out plain and clear before him as to how Jiraiya had gotten such information. He needed to...

"Do you deny sending information to Iwa?"

Danzo nearly bit his tongue off. Had he been that blind and careless as to allow Jiraiya to dig into his plans this fast? Truthfully, he believed it wasn't his fault. He had no other choice, being pushed so hard.

"Jiraiya, if you're here to accuse me of such fallacies, I suggest you leave now and give me my privacy to do my duties as Hokage," Danzo said as he literally cursed himself for ushering such a statement. It would give Jiraiya the notion that he was hiding something. The toad sage just smiled and stepped out. His worse fears were now true...it was confirmed.

Danzo sat in his office letting everything go through his mind. Just a little time and soon he'd be ruler of the entire shinobi world. If everything went according to plan, he would be able to stand proud and supreme as not just a simple Kage but the first of the two real Kages.

* * *

Naruto stood up from where he crouched on the tree beside Hinata, his face still covered by the hood of his cloak. He was obviously shaken from the fact that Hinata had whispered his name. He knew his identity was bound to be realized, but not this fast. He reached up and slowly uncovered his gold like blond hair. He revealed his whiskered cheeks and deep blue eyes which seemed to have lost their fire. He let the moon light caress his face as he looked down from his elevated position at the faces below.

He could see obvious recognition and panic in both Kakashi and Shikamaru's eyes. He looked at the unconscious form of Sakura, then looked back to the Akatsuki man they were fighting. Deep inside himself, he could hear two separate thoughts. One voice told him to leave them to fend for themselves, obviously powered by the hate and anger he felt for them because of their betrayal. But the other voice actually wanted to fight, to help them. And no matter how much he wanted to shun that side, he couldn't. He took out a kunai and looked back to Hinata who nodded and stood up beside him. Somehow he was shocked about how easily she was actually trusting him.

"Wow, never thought I would actually get to meet the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi," the Akatsuki agent said, and ripped the tent he stood beside to reveal the shaking figure of the old man. He removed a scroll and before anybody could react he acted.

"SEAL." He shouted, and instantly the man's mouth opened to release black liquid like ink, which floated quickly into the seal and left the man dead.

He returned his attention to the Shinobi around him. Two on three. Three on the ground, one unconscious and the other two battle ready. This would be difficult to fulfill. He would have to make it quick in order not to keep his master waiting and also keep his identity the secret it was. Chakra leaked from his body and instantly, another copy of himself was standing beside him. The two flew through seals faster than the eye could catch. Using nature release was something he really hated but in this care, he'd make an exception.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Earth Release: Earth Corridor!"

"Shit," Kakashi breathed as the earth closed around him, Shikamaru, and Sakura. There was no way he could escape since his stab wound had started bleeding more freely. He fell to one knee from the pain.

Naruto and Hinata leapt from the tree away from the path of the huge fireball. Before Naruto could even land, the man was already upon him, throwing punch after punch which the blond blocked effortlessly.

"Ends here."

Naruto's eyes widened. He'd been so obsessed with fighting this man that he had forgotten that he had created a clone which slashed at his with a blade made solely of chakra. The blade met the flesh of a clone that instantly became smoke.

Just at that moment, the ground shattered and Naruto flew up from the ground with his fist aimed for the jaw of the purple-haired man. His attack was dodged, then the man retaliated with a kick to Naruto's stomach, which sent him crashing to the ground.

"You're mine."

Naruto's eyes widened when he saw a spear made of chakra hurtling toward him.

"Eight Trigrams: Palms Revolving Heaven!" Hinata literally appeared in front of him, spinning rapidly before the path of the chakra spear. Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he saw the two attacks meet. The spear drilled into Hinata's dome shield. The Akatsuki agent just smiled at this. The spear exploded in Hinata's face and sent her tumbling aside. Her defense had helped her, but was not enough to withstand the force of the explosion of chakra.

Naruto stood up, ready to attack, but suddenly met the eyes of the Akatsuki, who threw a quick punch at the boy's face. Naruto got out of its range and grabbed hold of his robe. He smiled.

"GIANT RASENGAN!"

The area was instantaneously covered in dirt at the violent birth of Naruto's titanic rasengan. The attack was so powerful that it even damaged the dome of earth Kakashi, Shikamaru and Sakura were trapped in. The area slowly cleared to reveal a panting Naruto. He wasn't really used to the advanced form of the rasengan.

He stumbled as he walked toward the small crater he had created with his attack. He heard something almost like the wind and turned just to feel something stab him right through the chest. He looked down and saw what it was. A long spear of chakra connected from him to the brown-eyed man who was still alive. Naruto groaned from the pain as the chakra spear receded into its maker. He fell to his knees from the lack of breath and overwhelming pain.

"Pathetic. I didn't even go all out," the man said as he stood beside Naruto.

Naruto closed his eyes. It wasn't supposed to end like this. Not like this. Not to a man like this.

"NOT TO YOU!" Naruto shouted right before a huge blast of red chakra exploded from inside his body, sending the Akatsuki tumbling through the air. The man stood up and wiped the dust from his cloak.

"So, this is what you truly are?" He asked, smiling at the changed figure of the Jinchuriki.

Naruto looked wild now with his eyes slits and his hair even more unruly than usual, his whiskers jagged and outstanding. He watched as a red liquid cloak formed around Naruto with three tails swishing excitedly behind him. He released a huge roar which visibly shook everything, and destroyed the dome of earth to reveal a shaken Kakashi, Shikamaru, and a now conscious Sakura.

Naruto looked at the Akatsuki, his mind now almost completely blinded with white-hot rage. This man was going to die.

"YOU'RE DEAD." He shouted, and dashed forward with terrific speed.

YOU SHOULD ALL REVIEW...plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


	6. An Annoyance

Sorry for making you guys wait so much...but this is the new chapter...have fun with it. Also, the biggest thanks goes to Daelyn Paolini who is no longer just a BEAT but a partner in this...haha...

A crack tore through the dry ground. Suddenly, an entire area of earth was covered in a spider web of openings around the Jinchuriki dressed in a blood red coating of chakra. An enraged roar escaped from his jagged mouth, shattering the night and casting the already disturbing scene as a maniacal and vicious sight. Dozens of flocks of birds flung themselves from trees to flee the horrific episode beneath them. Murder and hatred and an all-consuming desire to fill the world with iniquities radiated from the blood-chilling scene in the forest clearing.

A fist drenched in red, boiling chakra stretched itself toward the Akatsuki assailant, who was inert as he had ever been. He slowly lifted up both hands from underneath the flaring ends of the Akatsuki robe as the Jinchuriki tore the clearing, gaining more and more speed, losing more and more distance between himself and his target. From the Akatsuki agent's hands, a massive blue shield of chakra formed in front of him. The rippling red fist crashed into the impregnable dome of chakra, sending a crushing shockwave through the forest for miles, throwing dead trees into riverbeds and bending live ones over until they nearly touched the ground behind them.

Naruto let out a fearsome roar as he appeared behind the man with his elongated red fist, tearing through the blue chakra with preternatural force, and then throwing an easy shot with his free hand toward the man. In superb evasion, the Akatsuki agent dissipated into a mist of chakra that divided itself into three forms and receded into the ground through the maze of cracks. Before the rage-possessed Naruto could react, three rods erupted from the ground around him, forming the shape of a triangle.

"LIGHTNING RELEASE: THUNDER BINDING!"

Instantly, a terrible amount of electricity crackled around the individual rods, but quickly connected itself into the thin layer of an electric prison, entrapping Naruto inside. The Akatsuki agent appeared from below and looked contentedly at the trapped Jinchuriki with a broad grin on his face. At last he had a gift for his master. The Kyubi would serve as a fine catalyst to further the growing plot. No one had ever been able to break out of his electric prison and no one would…

"AAAGHHHRRRRR!" A monstrous roar issued from Naruto, causing the rods to shatter and sending a second colossal rush of air radiating from the clearing.

Before the Akatsuki man could react, Naruto appeared with lightning speed before the man, his eyes wild with bloodlust and his mouth a sick and twisted smile. In a swift second, the Jinchuriki rocked him with a punch that sent him crashing through the trees. Surviving it had been lucky since his full defense was not entirely activated. He had not been pushed this far in a long time. His eyes widened in shock as he watched tree after tree tossed out of the way, giving a path for the advancing Jinchuriki.

"You're not stronger," the man whispered, anger tinting his cheeks red, "you can't defeat me," he continued, watching as the rage-possessed Jinchuriki charged at him. "I AM STRONGER," he ended in a shout full of wrath nearly matching that of the Bijuu residing in Naruto.

The Akatsuki released a huge blast of glowing blue chakra from his body. The chakra was bent to the fair-haired man's will and gathered around him like armor, preventing any outside contact with his body. This was a perfect chakra defense which could never run out or be defeated. With renewed energy, he charged at the crazed Jinchuriki. A rippling wave of purple chakra threw itself across the clearing as the two clashed and entered a heated battle. Red chakra was slung this way and blue chakra there; the purple combination of the two cast the clearing in a chilling light.

* * *

Kakashi could not slow his quick breathing. The field around his team looked like it had been ripped out of a devilish nightmare. He looked to the haggard tent and gazed at the lifeless body of their charge…a failed mission. He directed his eyes to the trio of obviously shaken shinobi. He took a deep breath, keeping his outward appearance calm as he looked in the direction of the beaming lights and hair-raising roars. He couldn't slow his panicking heart as much as he tried, but he still had to act nonetheless. Begrudgingly, he began to shut out his team's desperate pleas for direction and tried to comprehend the summary of what had taken place within the last half hour.

It was two simple problems. First off, the Akatsuki agent had somehow managed to steal information from their charge, and the information may prove deadly to Konoha. Secondly, Naruto, a criminal who had made his way into the Bingo Book for killing the previous Hokage (Kakashi didn't want to believe this, but evidence pointed that it was the truth: the motive was simply that Naruto wanted to become Hokage), Tsunade, was within their grasp. And to make matters worse, he was losing himself to his rage and the Kyubi's will.

The copy ninja shoved his hand into his pocket and brought out a piece of paper he had kept for a long time. It was something that he had hoped would help him during the times Naruto was part of Konoha. It was a paper with the suppression seal on it. He shoved it back into his pocket and tore a piece of his clothing and wrapped it around the wound. He had to act now.

"You three stay here," he said, and started to run in the direction the destruction had gone, but Sakura grabbed his elbow. He looked back questioningly.

"Let me at least stop the pain," she said quietly. Kakashi nodded in assent, wanting to get to Naruto as soon as possible.

He couldn't help but sigh as cool waves of relief washed into his abdomen as chakra, and began to relieve the pain. But Sakura, as much of a mother hen as she was, did as much as she possibly could in those few moments Kakashi had granted her. She focused a great deal of her chakra into four places: relieving his pain, stopping the bleeding, repairing the small damage done to his lower intestine, and closing the wound left by the kunai. In less than a minute, she was lucky to cut the pain in half, completely stop the bleeding and heal his lower intestine for the most part, but the wound was left a blazing red gash when Kakashi pushed her hand away and sped through the forest to catch up with Naruto and the dangerous, unknown Akatsuki agent.

Hinata stood slowly from the ground, visibly shaking. Cold beads of sweat glistened as they slid down her face. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as her mind flew back to the moment when Naruto had changed into that chaos monger of a person. She shut her eyes tightly and tried to dispel the thoughts, but they came back, refusing to leave. She could remember the amount of murderous intent that spread to everyone, and the way every trace of life around him seemed to wilt and wish for death.

So was that what Naruto really was? No. No, she couldn't believe that once the thoughts of the prank-pulling Naruto from the Ninja Academy arose in her mind. This evil thing Kakashi was so dead set on meeting was the Kyubi within him controlling his mind and body. That was what the villagers truly feared. Not Naruto himself, or even what Naruto was capable of. But what was _in_ Naruto. She jumped as another huge roar reached their camp. She closed her eyes and offered a silent prayer for his safety.

"Hinata?"

She snapped her eyes open and looked over at Sakura.

"We have to help Kakashi-sensei. I don't know if he can handle the situation on his own, what with two criminals like that." The way Sakura spoke in such a collective manner about 'two criminals' being 'like that' made Hinata feel a painful pang in her chest, but she remained silent and nodded.

Shikamaru wordlessly examined the situation. They were moving into a heated battle between two strong people against their captain's orders. One person was an Akatsuki while the other was a Jinchuriki and S-rank criminal no less. How troublesome. He stood up straight.

"Let's go then," he said grimly.

The three young shinobi dashed in the direction Kakashi had taken.

* * *

Naruto was now almost totally oblivious to his surroundings except for the man he was fighting. He shouted, letting his rage form into visible chakra which shot straight at the enemy, but the man just stood there in its path and let the red chakra hug his body, yet it never touched him or injured him. Fueled by more anger, Naruto flew toward the man with a fist billowing with the promise of forging a crater bigger than any mountain known. He met the huge chakra shield, which exploded on contact and sent the Jinchuriki crashing to the ground.

Propelled by rage, Naruto just as easily lifted himself from the ground as he was thrown. He charged at the Akatsuki agent, now attempting to pull together his chakra shield from the bits and pieces Naruto shattered it into. Naruto was able to slip his hand in down to his wrist before the man completed reconstructing the shield. He slung his arm into the air above them, tearing a hole in the chakra, which seemed to scream out in pain. He grabbed the edge of the hole with his other hand and ripped the force field in half, sending more haunting screeches into the crisp night air.

"No! What are you-"

The man was cut off by a fierce blow to his face. He summersaulted through the air and snapped a tree in half with his body. With a victorious roar, the Bijuu possessed Naruto crouched to the ground and threw his head into the air. He shook himself free of the frustration of defeat and lopped across the space between them. With heavy breathing and an uncomfortable new sensation of fear, the Akatsuki waved his hand in the air, leaving a small and thin, but thick trail of chakra behind to protect himself from the swift roundhouse kick Naruto tossed his way.

The purple-haired man flung himself into a nearby tree, pulling the chakra like a flowing creek through the air back into his body. He gritted his teeth and swore in his mind. This Jinchuriki was proving to be a headache he didn't want to deal with. Looking beyond the seething red mass beneath him, he caught a glimpse of purple chakra slithering on the ground at the edge of the clearing. He glanced back down at Naruto, who thrashed in circles, trying to find his opponent. With disdain, he realized a moment too late that the man had taken off through the trees for the clearing.

He skidded to a halt beside the mutated chakra. At first, he didn't understand what was happening at his feet. The chakra writhed and twisted, seeming to vibrate on occasion as if it were screaming in pain. Shocks of red and blue flashed, but then a deep violet overtook the cloud of chakra, and the Akatsuki man knew what had happened. The Bijuu's chakra had infected his own. He now had the ability to control a volatile source of power. With a twisted smirk, he swiveled around and twisted his hand through the air, twirling the purple chakra and bending it to his will.

"Let's see-" he breathed as he took a step forward- "how you deal-" Naruto roared and shook his head, charging across the clearing toward the slowly advancing enemy- "_with this!"_

A sadistic smirk graced his features as he slung his arm in an arc from his waist to his ear, throwing the hybrid chakra in the form of hundreds of needles at Naruto. Several pierced the young man's arms and legs, one even finding itself completely embedded in his hand, as he jumped into the air. Naruto shook his arms and legs, casting the chakra from his body, and set himself down on all fours, glaring with a horrifying hatred at the Akatsuki.

"Not so happy now, are you…"

He held out his arms perpendicular to his body and reached to the sky, then delicately brought his hands down to his feet. He repeated this motion, as if he were commanding the waves of the ocean, enlarging the purple chakra that had gathered again at his feet. He created a monstrous wave of energy, then swirled it in a dancing circle as he swung his arms around his head.

At the sight of this, Naruto began to run at him again, attempting to dash his way through the chakra. The Akatsuki agent was proud to say it was not that easy to overcome his new ability. He brought the wave around Naruto and encased him in it. Naruto was standing, looking around in anger and panic. He didn't understand what was happening until it was too late.

The Akatsuki clothed Naruto with his chakra as he had for himself earlier. However, his intentions were not the same. Quickly, he clapped his hands together and forced the purple chakra into Naruto's body. He pumped the hybrid energy through the jinchuriki's veins, contorting his chakra flow into a sick whirlpool. Naruto's body was his, but this was as far as the Akatsuki would go. He wouldn't kill the boy. Not yet. Not until he had sucked his body dry of his fantastic chakra. Naruto screamed at the torment he was in, and begged for it to stop, but found he couldn't speak.

Struck dumb, the Akatsuki agent felt something tap several spots on his arm in rapid succession. He bellowed a horrified roar as his arm fell limp to his side and the purple chakra in Naruto's body all but fell out at once. He whirled around and jumped several dozen feet away before he was further attacked. A navy-headed girl glared at him and held her palms out facing him. Her eyes were the palest lilac, and surrounded by bulging veins.

"Byakugan," she whispered with contempt.

Hinata screamed and charged at him, pulling her right hand back. She thrust it forward to strike his other arm (it was easy enough to deduce without his arms he would be forced to retaliate for his fighting style), but the man kicked her arm away, snapping her elbow in the process. She cried out and held her arm to her chest, but refused to give up so easily. This man had tortured Naruto. He had…had _forced_ his chakra into him. How was that even possible? She had seen it with her own eyes and found it hard to believe.

The man smirked at her, knowing she would be too easy to defeat in comparison to the Jinchuriki.

"What do you want with Naruto?" She called out, panting as she tried to hold back the pain that crawled up her arm, causing every bone to ache and scream from the agony. "What did you do to him?" The man smirked at her and cocked his head, not intimidated in the least.

"You aren't worth my time." He turned to leap away from the clearing in retreat, but Hinata grabbed his lame arm to hold him back. If anything, she should have grabbed his other arm.

He whipped around and kicked Hinata in the shin, causing her to drop to her knees. He took the hand she had grabbed him with in his own and focused on her index finger with frightening intensity. He quickly pressed it against the back of her hand, causing her to cut the air open with her scream. She struggled to stand up, but the man kicked her as hard as he could in the gut, and she slumped against her arm, panting and terrified and consumed with pain.

"_He_…is collateral. Much _enjoyed_ collateral. _You_…" He plucked her middle finger from her hand and smashed it back against the back of her hand, issuing another scream from Hinata. She sobbed and bit her arm, berating herself for her tearful weakness. "…_Are an annoyance."_ He grabbed the knuckle at the base of her thumb between two of his fingers and smashed the bone into tiny pieces, emphasizing his point.

Hinata through her head back and sobbed loudly into the clear night sky. Tears streaked down her face, staining her flushed cheeks. She tried to pull her hand away, but he grabbed her wrist and crushed it in his grasp. She was sobbing uncontrollably, begging for mercy, and fell onto her back when he let her hand go. He glared down at her, infuriated by her weakness and lack of ability to fight well. He was disgusted with her.

Behind this horrifying scene, Naruto fell down on his knees. He felt pain spreading deep into his body, thrashing about inside of him as if it had a mind of its own. He could hear the Kyubi whispering into his ears.

"Hinata! Damn it, I told her to wait up!" Shikamaru landed beside Hinata and assessed her condition. Kakashi landed next to him, glaring at the sensation of the Akatsuki agent's chakra in the far distance.

"Let's do it," he growled.

While the two men chased after the purple-haired man through the trees, Sakura tended to Hinata. One of her ribs had been shattered, and a piece of bone punctured her lung, flooding the organ with blood. She worked as quickly as possible to pull the bone shards out without doing any more damage, remove the blood so she could breathe properly, while simultaneously keeping more blood from pooling in. She sealed the wound, and decided Hinata's condition was no longer critical, so she moved to Naruto, who was slumped on all fours on the ground.

"Naruto…?"

_Find him...kill him._ But the boy couldn't. The man had escaped and he couldn't find him. Naruto shut his eyes and gasped as he felt his body losing to the Kyubi's chakra. His will was fading into that of the dominating Kyubi.

_Let me teach them what pain is_, the Bijuu urged inside Naruto's head.

He rose to his feet, and an ear splitting scream tore at the star filled sky. He felt the pain of his body fade away as a warm glow overtook his vision. He felt himself fading...fading...fading into the peaceful darkness the Kyubi delivered.

"Suppress."

Naruto's eyes snapped open as he felt something slap onto this forehead. He saw Kakashi standing before him, his palm on his head. Naruto groaned in pain as the chakra began receding into his body. The Kyubi's voice quieted, and soon faded back into its place behind the seal. Not being able to stand, the boy fell from sheer exhaustion and drifted into unconsciousness. Voices bubbled up from the crevice of his reality, dizzying him further…

_"…__got away…"_

_…_

_"__Damn. What…"_

_…_

_"…__-tta' go… hurry…"_

_…_

_"__Hinata…hosp..."_

* * *

**Two Days Later**

_Drip…drip…drip…_

Naruto groaned from the obnoxious noise.

_Drip…drip…drip…_

He groaned again and opened his eyes, slowly letting them adjust to the darkness he was in. He rose into a sitting position from the cold wet floor he was lying on.

_Drip…drip…drip…_

He took careful steps until he managed to get to a door. He reached out for it and...bars. The door was made of bars. Slowly, his eyes finally adjusted to the dim lighting and he realized where he was.

A Konoha prison cell.

Now Reviews...


	7. A Hidden Agenda

Tomy readers, am so so so sorry for not updating quickly, there's been a lot of issues here on my end...anyway here is the new update (not the beta version of it). Hope you like it and i'll try to update quicker...on we go...

* * *

Naoki slowly sat down as he entered the Akatsuki hideout almost totally untouched by the fact that he had taken over a day to make the journey back with his object of the mission in hand. Normally he would have used at most a day to cover the most furthest of all plans but with this one he had taken longer than he had planned. It was not his fault though since he had been busy with his new found chakra than the mission at hand. As great as the Kyubi's chakra was within him, it was rather malicious and almost painful to his body…but it still was really powerful. But even with all its power, it wasn't much to waste. He had earlier in the journey back been thinking about how it had even been possible...how was the Kyubi's chakra able to infect him? He came out with one conclusion; his ability to pull back his chakra into system before it dissipated must have been doing it through out the battle without his notice. A small chuckle escaped his lips as he thought back top it...somehow, when he was drawing the bijuu's chakra from the boy, he felt a sense of content, peace and total power…even managing to drown the roars of anger he felt vibrating from the Kyubi itself. Naoki's smile faded as cold sweat formed on his face. He need more of it…more of that red, bubbling anger filled chakra…he was hooked. It was something he had discovered on his way back. He had thought it was just a moment of need or something…strange but after a few moments, he found it out as simple addiction. The infection had opened his mind to the existence of chakra which matched his thirst for blood. He needed more.

"You took long enough. ".

Naoki looked up from where he sat to show his master standing at the entrance with his one eye showing nothing but anger at his servant. Flinching slightly, Naoki thought about what he would say to his lord. He'd brought back the package alright, but he left witnesses.

"Situations came about…complicating everything", he said with his old attitude of no emotions back. He kept his eyes away from the calculating and penetrating eye of his leader. He really did not understand why his identity had to always be kept a secret with the other Akatsuki agent having no idea of his existence.

"What kind of situations", the masked man said stretching his palm out calmly waiting for his information delivered. With a quick movement, the scroll was flanged into his hand. He took it slightly up and observed it. His one eyes mask hid his smiling face from view of anyone.

"The Kyubi. ".

The masked man's hidden smile faded away as fast as it had occurred. He looked to the man sitting before him. Facing the Kyubi was a real big trouble but he had expected the best from Naoki so the lack of a body meant that the best he expected was not good enough.

"Was there any other failure from you?", he asked keeping his eye from the chakra controller but on the scroll which he still refused to open.

"Konoha might have information on me by now ".

With an angry grunt, the masked man begun to disappear in a swirl with the vortex as his activated blood red sharingan eye. Naoki could easily sense his master's displeasure but refrained from commenting on it. To care about it was something he did not believe at the moment…he just wanted evil in him…more Kyubi chakra.

* * *

Jiraiya moved quickly down several stairs. He silently cursed who ever had placed his god son in a hell hole like this where fresh air was nothing but a prayer. He took the steps two at a time, obviously anxious to see his charge…well as much of a charge Naruto was to him. The toad sanin paused in his strides and allowed himself to breath anger away…anger at himself. He still remembered his reaction when he had come to Konoha a few days after the incident with Naruto. He had been furious with the Danzo manipulated council and more furious with the actions of the shinobi of Konoha. Sure, their action might be justified to some people given the fact that they so much adored and respected their Hokage…but still to believe Naruto was involved, that was really something else.

"Jiraiya-sama".

The toad sanin sneered at the Anbu official who bowed in respect before passing him. To him he felt something was simply clear about the Anbu. They used to be divided under loyalty to the Hokage and Danzo, but now, they were totally aligned to the rat of a man. Jiraiya breathed deeply as he flew down the stairs again. The lower he went, the further he got from the better prisons to the "death zones" where very dangerous prisoners were put to die. Why Danzo had Naruto placed there was still a mystery…did the man just want the boy to die or did he want the madness of the boy to corrupt him into his plans to give the whole village a common thing to hate. A cough escaped the man's mouth as he went through another Anbu guarded door. The smell there hit him so hard that he almost could not breath from the pain it caused his lungs to squeeze oxygen out of the dead and rotten air in the final row of prison cells. This was the famous section known only as the "death zone" only given to people who the council and Hokage deemed too dangerous to be kept alive or executed. People brought down here were brought for one thing only…death. He looked at the darkness of the section. He could felt eh water beneath his feet but he still could not see anything. His eyes simply could not adjust to the darkness before him. He searched round and was able to find a light switch. He clicked it on for the whole place to be slightly lit with a weak orange light from the single weak lamp there. He walked looking from one empty cell to the other. As he moved, his spirit deemed down until just a small portion of his soul seemed to remain. He got to the last one…with rusted bars and so much water in it. In there was a person curled in the middle of it as if trying to hide from some hidden pain. He knew who it was and could blame him for looking weak and almost totally broken. He had been there for almost a week without food or water…no one would have been able to survive that long with their sanity. Jiraiya crouched low, making sure not to fall into the water.

"Naruto…", he whispered but got no reply.

"Naruto, wake up", he said a little louder but still no reply. By this time he was a bit rattled up.

"Hey Naru…"

"Keep it down Ero-sanin".

Jiraiya let out the breath he had not been aware he was holding and allowed himself to stand up as he saw the boy slowly sit up almost totally drench in water and totally filthy. He looked really weak.

"How are you feeling?", he asked and silently insulted himself. He had not seen the boy for so long. He knew the kid might feel like he had been abandoned…why did he have to ask how he was feeling, huh?

"Well, you can look at my situation and make everything clear to yourself", Naruto said as he tried standing up to prove he was strong but ended up falling onto his back with a grunt. Jiraiya took a deep breath thinking of his words carefully.

"Sorry about the place you're in. ", he said with all due sincerity but paused when he heard Naruto begin to laugh almost like a blood thirty maniac.

"Sorry?...sorry doesn't solve anything…it solves…", Naruto paused. Jiraiya opened his mouth to speak but Naruto lept up and grabbed the rusted bars, his eyes slightly red with the chakra the Kyubi seeped into him during his rage.

"…nothing. ", Naruto whispered before his eyes returned back to normal and he slipped back on the wet and cold prison floor. Jiraiya just stood where he was, untouched by Naruto's behavior. He could not blame the boy since it was certain one thing, he had abandoned the boy during what possibly was his worst possible time. The toad sanin closed his eyes.

"I guess it's true, sorry solves nothing. ", he said still keeping his eyes closed but knew that he got Naruto's attention. He turned to look at the corridor he had walked before getting to where he was.

"I just didn't know how to confront the situation, i had no idea on how to comfort you. I just decided to do something else to benefit you. ", he confessed making sure not to draw his eyes to Naruto. He still expected the boy to be very angry at him...possibly never forgive him.

"Did you believe i killed Tsunade?", Naruto asked. He had longed since resolved to calling the dead Hokage by her real name instead of the almost funny way. Jiraiya was a little taken back by the question but kept his composure.

"The truth was that i didn't really understand everything to know if i believed it or not. I was just confused and i decided to let facts be facts, i decided to investigate and soon found out a lot of things. None of them brought you into the situation. ", Jiraiya said. Naruto smiled slightly. That was the answer he expected, not the one dealing with him being loved and never being able to do that...a logical answer was what he wanted and got it.

"So, what were you investigating, Eor-senin?", the boy asked looking up at his old teacher. He could not stop but smile at the old man's serious expression. He knew that the man thought of him as always innocent...and there was no way he could ever be mad at him, Jiraiya was one of the few really caring figures in his life.

"My investigation simply evolved around the fact that Tsunade's murder was orchestrated by the Akatsuki in collaboration with Danzo to get him in the Hokage seat...they set you up as the fall guy".

"How does Sasuke involve himself in the situation...he's not involved with Akatsuki", Naruto asked as he digested the whole issue.

"My guess is that Sasuke was involved because even though Orochimaru was no longer part of Akatsuki, he still had some loyalty towards them. My only problem is how to pinpoint Danzo with Akatsuki. ", the toad sanin said. He knew the exact answer which would spill out of Naruto.

"Danzo was sending some information to Iwagakure but the information was intercepted by Akatsuki. It seems the guy had an easy way to draw out the information. It all seemed a little...suspicious. ", Naruto said as he thought back. Jiraiya nodded. So, now he simply could evaluate that Danzo was cooperating with both Iwa and Akatsuki. He had a weird feeling that something bad would happen soon.

"Jiraiya-sensei?".

Jiraya almost gasped at the way Naruto had mentioned his name. He was totally used to the boy calling him in a strange and insulting way but this one was just really unheard of.

"Huh?"

"Danzo's going to have me executed, right? ".

Jiraiya remained quiet. He did not know what to say...he did not want to lie, at least he owed that to the boy...the truth.

"He'll have to kill me first. I'll see you later. ", he simply said and begun walking away not wanting to see the smile of peace on Naruto's , Jiraiya would not let anything happen. He had failed to protect Minato, Kushina, Tsunade...he was not going to fail on Naruto.

* * *

Danzo Shimura sat before two council members of Konoha with an almost grim look on his visible face. The two members were Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane. Both were as serious as ever.

"Execution of the boy might be necessary. ", Danzo said as he brought his hand under his chin to rub a non-existing beard. He had made his opinion clear and knew how easy it was to convince this two.

"Killing the Jinchuriki for his crimes might be a good idea but do remember Danzo that the Bijuu is a symbol of power in every nation. ", Koharu said as she slowly took up a glass of water and gulped it down in a civilized manner.

"She is right Danzo, keeping him in a prison is the only choice we have. ", Homura supported.

Danzo grunted in agreement...his ideas were far from over.

"Killing him now would serve as justice for his crimes and to be truthful, his seal is getting weaker and weaker. From Kakahsi's report, the seal nearly broke in their journey when they were intercepted by him. Would we want that incident to happen in Konoha?".

The two members of the Konoha council became silent. What Danzo said was correct, the Kyubi breaking out would pose a serious threat to the entire village...a repetition of the past. Koharu stood up.

"Ok...i agree to it. ", she said and walked out followed by walked out,leaving Danzo alone in the council room. He was about to stand up when he felt a presence behind him. He kept rooted on his seat.

"You're just the traitor you were a long time ago. ", an almost cold voice came out. Danzo already knew who it was. There was only a hand-full of people who could sneak into Konoha and into the council room and more importantly, without his notice.

"Uchiha Itachi, what do i owe this pleasure?", he spoke almost mockingly. The figure moved from behind him and sat down on one of the chairs calmly.

"Nothing really. I just came here for one simple reason...and that reason has been fulfilled. ".

Danzo stiffened. He did not know why Itachi was here but he really did feel something bad on the way. He was one of the few who knew of the truth behind the murder of the whole Uchiha clan...the mission from the Hokage and the Konoha council. Even though Itachi was nothing more than a criminal, he was still protective of Konoha.

"So, i ask the questions today, what is your plan for Konoha aster the whole incident occurs? ", the sharingan user asked, keeping Danzo rooted to his seat.

"Konoha will still remain and will never die. It would just be one of the only two shinobi nations left. ", Danzo said with a content smile. Ruling was something he wanted...he wanted to e supreme. Itachi stood up from his seat.

"Are you sure the Akatsuki will let you?"

Before Danzo could answer, he heard a knock on the door. He turned and looked at it before turning back to...Itachi was no longer there. Something was wrong...definitely wrong and unknowing to Danzo, a one eyed masked man was in the village posing as an Anbu official.

"Get Uzumaki Naruto out of the prison...he is to be executed in the next few hours", he said to the Anbu that entered.

* * *

Hyuga Hinata stood sweating as she had been training for several hours trying to get her arm back into shape. The battle with the Akastuki agent had left her badly hurt but thanks to the hospital staff, she was slightly better now, she could not use some of her moves but she was better than usual. She slowly let herself sit down and grabbed a bottle of water and greedily gulped it down. Training like this was always a way for her to get things out of her mind...and that one thing was Naruto. She knew or at least suspected that the boy was in trouble. She let the worry buried in her heart draw it's way into her mind and cloud her thoughts. She did that so much that she did not even notice someone walking behind her and standing tall over her.

"Sitting there makes your laziness too obvious. ". Hinata stiffened and stood up quickly and bowed her head in respect and obedience to her father, Hiashi Hyuga. Her heart was thumping almost too loudly for him not to hear.

"You have some work to do at home, i suggest you do it ", the proud man said and walked away leaving a rather deflated Hinata to herself. Her father still did not believe in her. The only person who looked to her and thought of her as stronger than she looked was Neji. With a look of defeat, she picked up the almost empty bottle of water and waled away...thinking of what would happen to a particular blond boy she knew. The verdict on Naruto would come from the three highest people in Konoha...she just hoped it would not be what she feared.

* * *

A figure crouched silently and almost invisibly on the roof of a building over looking the whole Konoha village. The view he had was almost to die for. His one eyed mask was slightly covered by the hood of his black Anbu uniform.

"Been a long time since i actually arrived here. ", he said almost sarcastically. His one eye twinkled with excitement at the thought of what was to come. He stood up proudly and looked down at the could see a few Anbu walking around a blond haired someone in shackles. He watched as the villagers cheered and threw things at him shouting monster and other insulting names. He stood up and looked down...his smile broadening.

"And now, the past will repeat itself again. ", he said with a smile as his sharingan activated. Death was to come to all...and betrayal to Danzo.

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Hope you liked it...now REVIEW


	8. A decision

**ok...ok...ok, i know i took almost an eternity to update and am sorry, even though an apology seems small for this situation. so i hope am forgiven.**

**So this is the new chapter which has not been beta"ed", i took just thirty minutes to write it so forgive any mistakes. So anyone willing to be my beta, please help me since my old beta kinda abandoned me**

* * *

"What? ", Jiraiya almost shouted as he grabbed a weak wooden table and whirled it at the wall. It crushed and shattered into pieces from the force with which it met the hard stone wall of the apartment the old toad sanin was residing in. He couldn't believe what he had just heard from Iruka. He couldn't believe that Danzo and the council would be so foolish as to come upon such a decision. Lack of an active Jinchuriki was a sign of weakness in the nations.

"When did this order take place?", Jiraiya asked, keeping his back to the academy teacher. He didn't want to show the trace of anger registered on his face. To do that would simply make things a little uncomfortable.

"The order came from the Hokage just a few hours ago. Am sure Naruto would be killed an hour from now. ", the academy teacher said, trying hard to hide the sadness and hope in his voice. Hope for Naruto, a boy he saw as a younger brother, to be saved. Jiraiya knew this, he could hear it in his voice clearly. He wanted to tell the man he would resolve this issue easily, that this whole thing was all a misunderstanding but he knew better. Without uttering another word, he walked out, he needed to clear something with the Hokage.

* * *

The almost totally broken Naruto could sense and hear it. The feet descending rapidly down the stairs to the abandoned place he was imprisoned. He could feel it, that little bit of tension that came before the end. He could even taste the sour flavor of an end approaching. The irony of it all drew a bitter laugh from him almost like a homicidal maniac ready to rip his own throat out. Was this what it had all been for from the start? Was Neji right when they were younger? Were all his stupid ideals leading to this perfect moment of total and absolute oblivion? Was the revenge he pursued just an attempt to blind himself from the real truth of the world? Was this always how everything had to end?

Crrreeeeeeeeek!

The door to the hellish row of cells opened. He smiled deeply as the sound of feet meeting water caught his ears. At last they got here. He heard one cough and almost laughed aloud to that. They had the guts to cough after breathing the rotten air in this place…this place where he had been condemned. Soon, the dim light flickered on to expose three Anbu officials standing before his cell. One opened it to reveal their eyes to the almost totally crumpled form of Naruto.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you have been summoned before the council's verdict. Make any moves and you will regret it", the leader who wore a wolf mask said the last part a little more harshly to the boy not caring about the amount of killer intent he radiated. Without any words, Naruto was harshly grabbed and led out. They just moved his weak form like a lifeless carcass, dragging him up the flight of stairs in his almost totally destroyed looking clothing. Getting further up, Naruto had the chance to see the row after row of prisons…no wonder where he was was so bad, it could have been the sewer to this huge maze of prisons.

"Move", one of the Anbu pushed him, urging him to move his already weak legs faster. Quickly they moved, making the blond teen use more and more of the last of his energy to push himself forward. After another step, Naruto felt something sting his eyes. Instinctively, he raised his hands to shield his eyes from the rays of sunlight which greeted his light deprived eyes. After a few seconds, he let his hands down and gaze at the opened doors he approached. He could already breathe calm clean air as he walked closer and closer. He could even see the Anbu standing outside waiting for him to come…well, at least he had a crowd to escort him. This was when dead childhood dreams would be mourned and buried. And with a few more steps, he walked into the light.

* * *

Hinata gasped…her ears had to be betraying her. She wanted nothing more than to fall down on her knees and weep but something kept her standing, some false hope about what she had just heard from her father being nothing but a cruel joke to keep her down…but she knew better.

"The execution is to occur in the next hour and I expect you to be there. The main branch is to be expected as being both loyal and agree to the joint decisions of the Hokage and the Council. ", Hiashi lectured. Though he hated the act to be committed, he knew it was necessary. Making an example of a traitor would adequately wipe out some possibilities of treason in the village. He shifted his eyes from the scroll he read in his hands to the almost trembling Hinata. Pathetic, was all he thought. She was exactly what a Hyuga was not supposed to be.

"You can go.", he dismissed her and frowned as she left. Hinata as she left her father's presence could no longer control the stream of tears from gliding down her cheeks leaving damp spots on her grey kimono.

"Hey, Hinata could you…Hinata…"…

She didn't even care to give any attention to Hanabi, her little sister who tried unsuccessfully to get her attention again. Her mind was blank to the world. If she wasn't that weak she would…what? What could she even do? All these questions raced through her mind as she stepped into her room and fell sadly on her bed, sobbing more and more into the pillow. She had known that Naruto would be punished but she always thought a short prison term or something else giving the fact that he saved their team but it seemed fate was not willing to be kind to her.

"If only I was strong enough", she whispered amidst tears.

"If only…", she paused, her tears had seized. Thoughts flew through her mind…impossible thoughts. No one would expect an attempt to save Naruto, especially an attempt made by a Hyuga heiress. The thought of her not being strong enough had been banished. She knew something only a few knew. And it was simple: to give up was the real defeat. Slowly, she rose from her bed…she had to do it…she just had to.

* * *

"DANZO", Jiraiya roared as he easily punched down the door, sending splinters everywhere. As soon as the door crushed down, seven Anbu officials appeared, ready to defend the Hokage. Jiraiya would have laughed aloud if he wasn't totally over boiling with rage. So this few ants think they could take on the bigger deal like him. He gazed over them to the Hokage who was calmly seated and almost hidden by the heaps of paperwork he had.

"Jiraiya, good of you to…".

"Stop talking nonsense, you know why am her. ", the sanin hissed out almost snake-like. There was one thing he hated more than being caught in his perverted actions, he hated hypocrisy. With a signal from Danzo, all the Anbu officials disappeared in chakra smokes.

"What makes you thing you can take such a decision? What makes you think the son of the fourth can just be one of your pawns in the sick little game you are playing, huh, answer me. ", Jiraiya almost shouted slamming his fist onto the table causing some of the papers to fall off. Jiraiya was visibly angry, not thinking right and that was exactly what Danzo wanted. For him, he saw the big picture, the need for dominance. And if sacrifices had to be made then so be it.

"Jiraiya, careful, you're speaking to the Hokage and as that, am superior to you. "

More angered by that, Jiraiya slammed his fist on the table, cracking the hard wood with his anger which was almost visible around him.

"You, Danzo are not and never my superior. I do what I do not for you, but for those who deserve it. ". And with that the sanin turned to leave but paused at the entrance. He calculated his words well…the consequences could be grave.

"I don't work for Akatsuki scums. I no longer stand with Konoha thus my actions are mine alone", he sad full of anger and walked out. He had made his mind up. If Danzo wanted to play it this way, then he would have to do what was needed to be done He was no longer Jiraiya, the toad sanin of the hidden leaf…he was now just Jiraiya, the toad sage, the godfather of Naruto and he had a task at hand.

* * *

On the roof, a figure hidden in the shadows followed the Anbu escorting Naruto carefully. Being seen could put a slight but cleanable mark in his whole plan. To make everything he planned successful, he had to take care of Konoha first…at least to make Danzo more aware of the authority he had. A smile carved his face under the one eyed mask as he saw a few civilians throw stones at the already weakened blond jinchuriki. This would be easier than he thought. A jinchuriki in the open with just a few Anbu guards escorting him, a bad plan for whoever decided to do this. He vanished from one shadow to reappear in another as he looked at the still growing mass of civilians approaching…more; he needed more audience for what he had planned. With Jiraiya in Konoha, the plan might not take long but still, it would help make everything a bit more interesting. This would surely make Danzo take a faster decision to join his cause. He smiled under his mask as he saw several shinobi approaching. They would be the ones escorting him now.

"Hatake Kakashi", he whispered as he saw a silvery haired shinobi who had his face covered just exposing his one normal eye to the world. A pink haired teenage girl who he knew was once Kakashi's student, a few Nara and some Akimichi and Inuzuka with their dogs. More people had begun to appear…a good crowd for the plan. He smiled. The time had come.

* * *

Naruto stumbled onto his knees. He could feel pain burning in every part of his body. His hands had been bound behind him. He could still feel the stabbing gaze of everyone…could hear their blood ticking insults.

"We will be taking him with us now. ".

Naruto smiled at the voice. Kakashi, a man he looked up to and idolized. He looked up to see some of his friends around him…no, they were not his friends; he didn't have the luxury of that. His eyes stopped on Sakura who looked at him with a deep frown…they all made him sick.

"Yeah, you can take him but we have strict orders to move everywhere he goes until the execution. ".

Naruto's heart skipped a beat. He had already suspected and known that the end was near for him, but hearing it was really different. From the little parade he had been taken through before coming her, he could deduce that this was a public execution. And this would clear everything, give everyone a sense of revenge for Tsunade's death and give then a feeling of happiness.

"Let's move, we're behind schedule and the…"…

BOOOOOM BOOOOOM BOOOOOM BOOOOOM !

The ground shattered around his as three huge explosions belted from the ground, scattering everyone and throwing rubles around. Naruto looked around clearly shaken but still on his knees until he saw a figure standing before him.

'YOUUUUUUUUUUUUU!'. NAruto clenched his teeth as he felt a huge pain erupt from his stomach…the Kyubi was agitated.

'MADARAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!' the bijuu roared, trashing around it's prison gates sending more and more waves of pain through the blond teen who doubled over on the dusty ground in pain. The debris was still around with dust everywhere, no one would be able to see anything. The man Naruto now knew as Madara walked slowly to where he lay shaking from the pain he felt. He knelt down and grabbed the weak blond by the throat and lifted him up.

"Seems I have use of you again. ", the man said in a calm voice.

"What…what do you…want…with…me?", Naruto asked in gasps as his breathing became labored. He heard the man chuckle and looked at his eye exposed from a hole in the mask he wore. There was something strange about it.

"My dear boy, who ever said I wanted you?", the man whispered before his eyes morphed into a blood red sharingan. Suddenly everything begun to fade as another huge volley of pain hit Naruto…this time it was something else, he could feel it. The hate, anger and thirst for blood. The figure dropped and watched with a smile as the red bubbly chakra begun to envelope Naruto. The first three tails appeared. Then two more begun forming…

"The past begins", the man whispered with a smile before leaping out of the smoke before vanishing…but he had been seen by another eye like his.

"AAAAGGGHHRRRRRRRRRRR!".

A huge human-like roar was heard before a huge red chakra column shoot out to the sky sending a huge shockwave through the village. The dust was blown away to leave everyone to the image of death before them. An image of nightmares to most of them. With a roar that shattered the ground, the past came back with full force.

* * *

**ok...hope you liked it and please review, i'd like to see what you think about it and if you have any ideas for me, you can send it...thanks**


	9. A Great Fall

**Before we start, this is a new chapter, again with no beta"ing". And thanks to the few who reviewed, though it wasn't enough, it got me to write this chapter within less than three hours. So read and review please so that i'll feel more inspired to write more...on we** **go...**

**Just made the final few corrections...not much though**

**Remember, the more the review, the quicker the next chapter comes...**

* * *

"STOP IT"

BOOOOOOOOOM!

"Arghhhhh…"

"Move those civilians to safety"

"We can't keep him down, where's the Hokage?"

BOOOOM BOOOOM BOOOM!

Another huge series of explosions sounded with an earth shattering roar as the six tailed miniature Kyubi shot another series of chakra shots out killing and destroying anything in its path.

"HAHHHHHHHHH…", Gai, who had already opened a few chakra gates bellowed in rage as he moved in speed with his student next to him. They both got in range to attack the beast but as expected, the beast was much quicker and, more savage as it sent the two green beasts of Konoha crushing into a building which toppled down upon them.

"GAI", Kakashi run to the position Gai and his student had crushed into just to be greeted by a huge red fist erupting from the ground and almost grabbing him in the process. With a quick series of hand seals, a clone puffed into existence and charged towards the enraged , rampaging jinchuriki. As the real Kakashi dodged one of the several red fists bubbling out of the beast, the clone run towards the beast with a kunai in hand.

"Just a slight contact and-"

"GROOOOOAAAAHHHHH…", the enraged beast roared as it sent a huge burst of chakra out with force enough to blast every shinobi in too close a perimeter. This was a losing battle, Kakashi thought as he landed on a good distance from the chaos. There were two sides to this battle and unfortunately, Konoha was on the losing side. The copy ninja wondered a few things where was the Hokage, where was Jiraiya and …who was the person he saw vanish before this whole incident had started and that was less than thirty minutes ago. A figure appeared beside the copy ninja still panting heavily from what they had been and still going through.

"It seems the evacuation is almost complete, thus the second phase is to begin any moment from now. ", Yamato spoke as he looked at the still rampaging six tailed Kyubi. He had tried his best already trying to use his abilities to reverse the transformation…but one of this level seemed impossible.

"Ok, we'll have to hold it till…WHAT?", Kakashi almost choke out as he saw what was going on. The miniature Kyubi had reared its head up with bubbles of chakra emanating and compressing above it. This wasn't good…not good at all. It closed its mouth around the ball of chakra.

"We've got to stop it…now", Yamato said out loud as he knew what happened next. The beast reared its head up facing the building on which they stood on. It was too late for them. And it…

"Summoning Jutsu".

Suddenly, the ground shook and a huge explosion sounded. Slowly, the dust cleared to reveal a huge green toad with two swords strapped to its back. And standing on top of it was Jiraiya himself…in his sage mode with the two toads fused to his shoulders.

"Sorry for summoning you here on such short notice but I need your help. ", the sage spoke respectfully to his superiors who help stabilize the nature chakra in his body without him changing further into a toad.

"Don't worry Jiraiya-boy, the Kyubi isn't something to be taken lightly. ", the old toad, Fukasaku, spoke wisely as he gazed at the destruction around him.

"Seems your godson has been pushed to a huge point", Shima spoke.

The sanin vanished and reappeared beside Kakashi and Yamato as he stared at the damage which had been caused.

"IS it over?", Yamato asked as he gazed upon the giant toad sitting upon the Kyubi, clearly the force should be enough to render it dead or at least weakened. As if to answer the wood user, the ground around the toad begun to crack up as huge tails erupted from the ground. Before any reaction could be done, the toad was sent crushing into the mountain side, destroying almost all the faces of the previous Hokage.

"GROOOOOAAHHHHHH…", a huge roar sounded and sent shockwaves around the crater caused by the toad who had now disappeared into smoke. Jiraiya frowned; it was his turn to shine. With his plan perfectly logical to him alone, he leapt off the rooftop and went into battle.

* * *

Hinata almost winced at the sound of explosions rock the underground chamber that the civilians were being led through. She stood beside a few friends who with urgency instructed the civilians on what to do. Inwardly, she was scared. She remembered when she first saw the pillar of red chakra rise to the sky and send a strange sense of coldness through anyone who saw it almost as if looking into the eyes of death itself. She also remembered the commotion which had been spiked when the news spread that Naruto had partially released the Kyubi to wreck havoc to everyone. She'd had a hard time believing it and still did…at least it had changed her plans to try and rescue him.

"Hinata?".

The Hyuga heiress blinked from the thoughts flooding into her mind to look at a quite worn out Sakura who had been busy with helping the injured with the help of several nurses who were equally busy.

"Could you help me here, keep pressure on his wound, I can't heal it quickly enough", the pink haired medical shinobi said before going over to another patient whilst Hinata did what she instructed. Injured shinobi were being brought almost every second…it seemed that things were going to chaos. Hinata pressed both palms harder on the shinobi's chest trying to stop more loss of blood…but as much as she wanted to be there to help, her mind kept on drifting somewhere else. Her mind kept drifting to the thought of Naruto being safe even if everyone generally felt he was the devil in that situation.

"Jiraiya-sama's arrived…he's going to defeat and kill the demon", a shino who just brought another injured civilian spoke to another as they rushed out not caring if anyone heard them. Unfortunately, Hinata did and she was uncomfortably worried, her plan to save Naruto had failed…but was there more she could do? Was there anything she could do to save him?

'I'm not going to give up', she mentally told herself as she left the injured shinobi and run towards the entrance avoiding the calls from Sakura. She would save him…she just would. And with those final thought s going through her mind, she run into hells mouth trying to save he who she loved so dearly.

* * *

"SAGE ART: BATH OF BOILING FLAME".

Jiraiya leapt from the crater as he spewed a huge blast of oil with both Fukasaku and Shima releasing fire and wind at the same time. The result was the crater being filled to the brim with fire. The sage landed, he had never wished it be this difficult…he was dealing with something of history, legends and blood thirst.

"We'll have to find another way of weakening it long-", Fukusaku stopped in mind speech as the ground under them begun to crumble. Right after the sage leaped out of the way, a huge red fist broke free and out of the ground but before he could react in mid air, another fist came at him. With slight stress, the sanin managed to slip out of its reach and landed calmly on the ground right on time to see the seven tailed bijuu burst out of the burning crater and dash at him with speed.

"Seems that it's after you now. "

Jiraiya knew that and had one thing in mind…he needed to protect the village from further damage. With still tons of chakra available in his sage mode, he dashed away, hotly pursued by the miniature bijuu which roared angrily as it followed him, shattering everything in it's path.

"Jiraiya-boy, you'll have to keep him at bay as Ma and I prepare the jutsu…are you sure you really want to do this? ", Fukasaku spoke calmly and when Jiraiya gave no reply, they knew there was no turning back.

"Ok…we'll prepare it", Shima said almost solemnly. Before the three could utter another word, a blur of red flashed past them and before…

"RASENGAN", Jiraiya yelled as he met a red form with a giant rasengan which sent the bijuu crushing through the woods right outside Konoha. As expected, the attack didn't even touch it.

"Fire release: big flame bullet", the sage roared, sending a huge burst of ignited oil at the miniature Kyubi. But with a huge roar, the attack was nullified as the Kyubi form of Naruto charged at him sending the sage crushing through the trees. By the time Jiraiya stood up, he was facing something of nightmares because right above the seven tail's head was a small but lethal black ball of chakra. Without much thought, the sage went straight forward, pouring a huge amount of chakra into the rasengan in his hand making it grow until it looked like a miniature form of the moon. The black ball was launched and met the rasengan and made an explosion which engulfed miles around them in light sending shockwaves farther than the eye could see.

"The seal is almost ready", Shima said to an almost exhausted sage as he stood shockingly looking at the distance form of the Kyubi. He had to start restraining it now. With speed, he flew through hand seals and slammed his palm on the ground.

"Earth release: swamp of the underworld."

Immediately, the ground turned into deep mud and Jiraiya was content to see the form of the Kyubi sinking deep into the mud…now it was retrained. The jutsu could now be…he paused as the mud seemingly begun to boil, turning red from the insane amount of chakra it was trying to restrain. The ground trembled violently for the first time bringing some sense of fear into the sage. His worst fears were realized as a huge pink fleshy head burst out of the mud rising fast as the rest of its body rose as well. Jiraiya bit his thumb going through seals as he saw what rose from the mud. Standing tall over him was the eight tailed form of an almost complete form of the Kyubi which sent the most menacing and earth shattering roar of bloodlust that the sage had ever heard. But without much more thought, he slammed his fist on the ground, summoning his last attempt to stabilize the situation. There was a huge blast and by the time the cloud cleared, there stood a huge toad with the sage standing on its head.

"It's ready", the two old toads said at the same time.

"Ok. Gamabunta, let's get this job done".

"YEAHHH", the huge toad shouted drawing its huge tantō and dashing straight at the beast.

* * *

The village was in ruins and Hinata didn't need her doujutsu to see that. Everything was in chaos with death and fire all around her. She looked to a far end to see an exhausted Kakashi and Yamato helping a panting Gai and an unconscious Lee. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt the ground tremble slightly with the feeling of coldness and death in the air. For one, she was sure she wasn't the only one who could feel the absolute huge mass of menacing chakra. With shaky hands, she formed a seal and instantly, chakra was directed to her eyes to activate her vision which spanned to a 390 degree vision which spread far…she pushed herself further and gasped when she found what she was looking for. Far from the village were two huge forms, one a huge toad and the other had eight tails swishing violently behind it and…Hinata's heart beat increased as she saw exactly what was happening. The chakra of the eight tailed seemed to be increasing, rather incredibly quickly too. She run with all she was worth as tears filled her eyes. She feared she'd loose him.

* * *

Jiraiya paled as he landed beside a wounded Gamabunta. The giant toad had put on a show but still not enough to withstand the raw strength of theKyubi.

"Jiraiya-boy, we have to finish this, it's getting ready to become full. ".

The weakening sage already knew what his two elders were talking about. The Kyubi had started to glow a red tint of light as it roared triumphantly. Without much thought, the toads on the sage's shoulders formed the same seal. They may not be able to do the real jutsu but they could at least help. Jiraiya smiled, this was it, and this was how it was all going to end for him. His smile deepened as markings begun appearing all over his body as he put more chakra into his trump card.

"NOW", he roared. The elderly toads released a series of loud croaks which for the instant seemed to leave the huge bijuu in a state of confusion. Knowing that this wouldn't last, Jiraiya leaped forward, a breath drawn to finish it all.

"SEAL".

* * *

Naruto sighed. He could feel everything vanishing from him. All the pain, sorrow and sadness the world had ever brought to him seemed to vanish. The only thing which remained was a deep rumbling breath.

"Release me, and I'll give you peace and save you from all this".

The boy sighed again, his mind circling the peace which seemed to be offered to him. Peace he deserved. With nothing more to lose, he got up from his kneeling position and walked up to the huge gates, raised a shaky hand and reached for the seal, ready to rip it off and…a light. The boy turned to see a bright light shining and before he could do anything, the pain vanished, everything faded away and clearly everything begun to settle up making images appear in blurry from which slowly settled until he opened his eyes to gaze upon the night sky above him with the smell of chaos around him. Still a bit groggy, he slowly got to his feet, still a bit hazy from nothing he could remember. He looked around him confused to see nothing but destruction all around him and…he froze with his mind under turmoil. On the ground a little distance away from him was a body. He could clearly see who it was.

"Ero-senin", he whispered and stumbled weakly there and fell on his knees with tears in his eyes. He grabbed the man and tried to help him sit with his head resting on his shoulder.

"NA…ru…to, you're…safe", and with those words, one person stopped breathing. Only one person left alive. With no sense of strength, the boy let the sears in his eyes glide down his cheeks. He didn't care if he looked weak then, just that a person had been wiped from his life…who else was left for him to lose? Slowly, the tiredness begun to creep over his body. Who else would stand by his side?

"Naruto-kun".

He turned his head slowly to the side to see a figure running towards him…she had dark blue hair…with the smell of lavender and…everything faded away.

* * *

Hinata fell on her knees beside the unconscious form of Naruto beside the dead figure of Jiraiya. For a second she didn't know what to do but came to a conclusion...if she were here, then the Anbu and other shinobi would be here any second. She'd always failed her promises but with this, she wasn't going to fail…she would save him.

"They're coming for you", she whispered almost to the wind as tears formed in her eyes. She wiped them away as she felt she needed to be strong. So with a renewed source of strength, she grabbed Naruto and carried him before printing away into the dark forest. If they were lucky, they'd escape from the tracking team. But unknowing to her, a small figure was following them.

**Ok, so thats the new chapter, so please review and let me know how good it is...and any idea you have...JUST REVIEW...am out and see you next time.  
**


	10. A New Reality

**So this is the new chapter..i decided to bring the other characters into the story. Am still in search of a Beta, so please please please, can anyone help me find a good one?**

* * *

Two says later…

The thirst had been getting stronger and harder to control or forget…the need for that red of chaos, hate and blood. Naoki clenched his teeth together trying not to let his mind dwell upon the beads of sweat dripping from his face as he tried as hard as he could to control himself. At least, he did not want to expose his condition to his master. The deep purple haired man slumped into the seat as he clearly shook; tormented by the thirst he seemed to be agonizingly going through. The addiction was still deep on his mind, the taste still on his tongue. He needed to find the Kyubi's jinchuriki…he needed to find Naruto. He needed what the boy possessed deep within the dept of his soul…and he knew exactly how to do that, but it would be against his master's trust and that was something he was never going to spit on.

* * *

Danzo sat calmly in his office, one of the few buildings which survived, with the night all around him. It had been two days now since the tragedy. Two days of sadness and pain in the heart of the village devastated and harshly trodden upon. Nothing would ever be the same for the village. Even though they'd lost countless lives, the toll on the shinobi numbers was not too bad, Konoha still had a lot of shinobi left. The only problem was the cost of building and renewing infrastructure lost in the battle…and finding a way to repair the spy network since Jiraiya was dead.

"Trouble?".

Danzo kept his composure, not answering the question of the man hidden in the shadows. Truthfully, he hated this man, but what he was willing to offer was worth living with the hate.

"So, to get me to make my decision, you push me to a tight corner", Danzo spoke, showing signs of his intellect. He already analysed the whole thing.

"Hmmm? Seems you catch on quickly. With Konoha hit like this, you have no choice but to accept my offer.", the figure said, knowing he was particularly correct. And as much as Danzo would have loved to know he had two options, he knew he didn't. The attack on Konoha would make the village vulnerable to attacks from other villages plus he had to put the possibility that the shadow could have another attack up his sleeves. Two shinobi nations, the idea was always intriguing…and if he played his cards right, Konoha would become the only shinobi nation and ruling the whole continent would be his.

"I accept the alliance. ", he said calmly keeping his one eye on the point where the shadow was. Slowly a figure stepped out with a mask on with just one eye visible.

"Good, in a matter of days, I will have information delivered to both the Tsukage and you on which shinobi nation would fall first. My men will handle the nine jinchuriki", and with that, the figure disappeared, leaving nothing behind except a chill running down the Hokage's spine…something didn't feel right…something was strangely off. The flash of lightning in the distance made his mind race with tension. He hoped everything would work out perfectly.

* * *

Foot steps sounded, almost sluggishly from exhaustion as Hinata waded through the forest panting in the heavily drenching rainy night. A slight shiver run through her as a cold breeze crawled over her. The Hyuga girl was tired and drenched but yet she continued walking…with a worn out body and strength almost extinguished , she continued, all for the sake of the blond who's head was slumped on her shoulder. Another stumble and she felt the tiredness getting worse. Carrying an unconscious Naruto for two days was no easy task…and carrying him for two days whilst running and trying her best to keep themselves one step ahead of Anbu was something else. They'd been pursued from the moment she picked up the boy and dashed away from the village's outskirts. They had used a good tracking team and Hinata relying mostly on her Byakugan had done her best to keep them off her path and now that it was raining, she was sure their scent and tracks were gone. Truthfully, she didn't know where exactly they were but all she cared was that "he" was safe, she had at least done what she promised, to rescue and keep him safe. Another stumble and she fell with Naruto handing beside her on the wet and muddy forest floor. The lightning flashed followed by the thundering sound of its presence signaling that more rain was to come. Slowly, Hinata stood up, and with a huge stress managed to pick up Naruto and placed him back on her back, carrying him. She needed to find shelter, so with a sigh, she activated her eyes and let it scan the area until she found what she was looking for, a cave at the base of a steep mountain. She moved to it and within a few minutes was inside its dryness laying Naruto carefully on its rocky floor. Slowly and gently, she removed her only source of warmth leaving only her fishnet inners. Quickly, she squeezed it, using a little chakra to help get rid of most of the water from her jacket. Then she laid it on Naruto not wanting him to get too cold. After another perimeter scan with her doujutsu, she sat next to him and slowly let herself drift into an uncomfortable sleep, hoping against everything that everything would be fine…but she knew better that everything had now changed…she could never go back. She drifted into sleep.

* * *

Everything seemed peaceful, no sign of pain or hurt or its dead fingers creeping down his frail body, Naruto stirred. Slowly opening his eyes and facing reality was something he did not want to do, just staying in the darkness with no thought of anything was what he wanted yet he knew that he had to wake. His eyes inched open, letting the painful rays of the sun hit him and cause a slight pain in his heart. A slight sigh escaped his lips as he slowly pushed himself to a sitting position, letting a jacket which had been draped over him fall. A cave, but how did he…he paused as his eyes fell upon a figure sleeping with hands wrapped around in an attempt at warmth.

"Hinata?", he whispered but not enough to wake the girl up. Wondering what she was doing here, he slowly pushed himself up trying to stand…big mistake. He fell back down hard with enough noise to wake up Hinata who stirred and slowly opened her eyes. For a second none of them said anything with their eyes meeting and no one trying to take them off. Naruto stirred from his position and tried sitting up again.

"What are you doing here?", he asked in an almost emotional voice as he sat down.

"Uhh, y..you were..un…unconscious…so…so, I helped…you", Hinata said in a stammering way.

For a second Naruto didn't have anything else to say, but just feel confused. No matter how hard he tried not to believe her, he knew that she was telling the truth, he could see it in her eyes. With another renewed strength, he pushed himself up, and this time, he remained standing in his tattered clothing. Without saying anything, he staggered to the entrance and tripped but managed to keep himself standing. Hinata stood up and rushed forward…

"Don't…don't come near me", the blond said, his eyes closed, he didn't want any help from anyone…no help.

"But…but, you're not…strong enough", Hinata whispered as she cowered back. Something wasn't right about the Naruto before her…he seemed different.

"Not strong enough", Naruto whispered bowing his head slightly making Hinata feel a bit saddened by her own words…she hadn't meant to mean it that way.

"Not strong enough, huh? Not strong enough to ever realize the truth about me. Not strong enough to realize that I was nothing more than a stupid joke to everyone in that village. Not strong enough to control what's inside of me. Not strong enough to realize the hate everyone had for me. NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO-"

*SLAP*

Everything grew quiet after what Naruto felt Hinata slap him. He could feel the sting it caused…but it only aided one thing, anger him more.

"Am going…you can go back to Konoha too, for all I care. ", the blond whispered almost still in anger and begun stumbling away, trying his best not to fall. He couldn't even see the tear on Hinata's cheek.

"I left Konoha to save you."

He paused. For a second, he didn't believe he'd heard what he thought he'd heard. He turned around to the entrance of the cave to see Hinata putting on her jacket with her face looking down. For a second, he just stood there and watched her begin to walk away.

"Where'll you be going from here?", he asked causing her to pause but not give an answer. With a deep breath he opened his mouth to say something but paused…something was.

A figure landed in front of him. Hinata turned and faced the figure and noticed who it was. Two four more figures landed.

"This is bad…really bad.", Naruto hissed with his heart beating rapidly.

They were surrounded by Anbu.

**Sorry for how short this chapter was, but i got the urge to write it quickly so...here it is. Next chapter, we bring the Sasuke Uchiha, Kabuto and Orochimaru into being. Review please.**


	11. A Hawk Hatched

**Ok, this is the new chapter...sorry for such a delay but i've been rather busy but still, here it is...make sure to review since i only got one review for the last chapter... :(**

**LETS GO**

"Hyuga Hinata, step away from Uzumaki Naruto.", the lead Anbu in a wolf mask spoke in a rather civilized voice void of any emotion. For a second, neither Naruto nor Hinata knew what to do.

"Hyuga Hinata, i repeat for you to step away from the jinchuriki, you are no longer kidnapped by him", wolf repeated, taking a step forward. But when Hinata failed to move and activated her byakugan instead, his thoughts were proven right. He had suspected that the only way the jinchuriki had managed to escape from them was with help...and now he knew who the help was from.

"Very well, if you won't then we have no choice but to-"

"Stop", Naruto interrupted as he tried desperately to stay on his feet.

"Am not fighting, you can take me in", he whispered almost sorrowfully, hating what he was doing. Even though he couldn't fight, he would have still loved to try. And more importantly, he couldn't put Hinata into the troubled situation he was in.

"Unfortunately, only one of you is expected back alive".

With that, the lead Anbu sent enough shurikens straight at the weakened blond. But before it could hit, Hinata stepped forward,l spinning slightly and deflected them away, allowing them to stab the dirt ground harmlessly. The Anbu paused, observing Hinata through eyes which seem to contain no soul.

"Huyga Hinata, your actions will draw bad consequences, step aside.".

Keeping her composure, Hinata remained where she stood in front of Naruto, ready to defend with her life. Slowly, she stood in the normal Hyuga battle stance and activated her doujutsu. Her veins bulged out at the sides of her face as chakra flowed into her eyes.

"I won't let you hurt him", Hinata said almost a whisper which the wind carried away. To anyone else, it would have been nothing but the wind, but to the trained ears of a shinobi, it was as clear as a drum. Naruto stared at her, not knowing what to say or think. He just stood there looking at her as she fell into a stance, like a fierce tiger, ready to rip anything to shreds, but he knew that it was impossible...defeating an Anbu team alone be impossible. If only he was not almost totally wiped out of energy, he would have helped her.

"Hinata, you can't-", Naruto stopped with wide eyes as he saw the lead Anbu close the gap to the Hinata within the blink of an eye and sent her crushing into a tree.

"HINATA", NAruto shouted as he struggled to stay up but fell, his strength draining much further and faster. He pushed himself to stand up but paused when he saw the Hyuga heiress begin to stir and stand up, determination in her eyes.

"Stand down Hyuga, you can't be able to-", the Anbu leader stopped as Hinata charged at him again. The leader was no rookie, he knew what Hyuga's were capable of. He motioned for his team not to get involved and within another second sent the Hinata down again without too much effort. But again, the girl slowly stood up.

"I...I won't...le...let you...hurt Na...Naruto...kun", with that and blood dripping from a cut on her forehead, she charged forward again, but was ready this time.

'I can't fail in front of Naruto-kun...I won't fail", she mentally told herself as she dodged a punch from the Anbu leader. Before wolf could attack again, Hinata stepped forward, drawing out a kunai with her left hand and slashing wildly. This was easy as the lead Anbu, wolf, blocked it effortlessly...big mistake.

"Hakke kuushou", Hinata shouted as she sent a wave of chakra which hit the opponent at point blank. It hit wolf right on the chest and...

POOF!

The man vanished and was replaced by a log and, Hinata gasped and looked up and could only look on in horror as her opponent stood on a tree, already gone through some seals.

"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu". A huge wave of shurikens hurled themselves at Hinata. She knew straight that she couldn't go into the kaiten at that moment. With nothing much she could do, Hinata closed her eyes and...

BOOOM!

Her eyes flew open to find Naruto standing in front of her, his body shaking tremendously. For a second, she didn't know what happened but noticed a small crater in front of Naruto. So, Naruto had used as explosion to deflect the flurry of shurikens.

"She's...not...part...of...this", Naruto said through huge breaths as he formed his favorite seal. The exploding clone had already done his last chakra reserve but...

"Kagebunshin no jutsu", he whispered right before falling face fist onto the ground. he was completely out of breath.

The Anbu leader landed beside his team.

"The Hyuga is mine. The rest of you take out the jinchuriki". And with that, the Anbu charged forward, ready to do their jobs. Two threw a series of kunai at the fallen Naruto. The blond, not being able to will his body to move again, did the only thing he could...wait for the attack to hit and hope that it ended everything quickly. But before anything else could happen, the whole area was engulfed in sand.

"This stops here", a figure said within the sand. A smile curved its way onto Naruto's face for the first time in a long time. This was one person he could definitely trust and call a friend.

"Good to see you.", he whispered before finally allowing the darkness to welcome him into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Sasuke-san, Orochimaru-sama would like to see you", Kabuto said as he stepped into the Uchiha's dark room. Sasuke was sitting quietly in his room but decided not to move.

"What's it about?", he said in his careless tone.

"He'll speak of it to you alone", the student of the snake said with a rather strange smile and left, leaving Sasuke alone to ponder over his thoughts. He knew what Orochimaru's plan was, the snake wanted his body...or more importantly, his eyes. A smirk appeared on the Uchiha's face as he made a conclusion on what he was to do. Slowly, he stood up and moved until he came to the snake's chamber. Opening it, his eyes fell upon the weak and diseased man who needed a new body laying on a bed.

"Sasuke-kun, kukukukuku...", Orochimaru chuckled as Sasuke slowly closed the door behind him.

"Time for the final part of your training Sasuke-kun", the snake sanin hissed out. Sasuke merely smiled, knowing what was to come. Orochimaru had definitely been too naive than to notice that nothing was ever perfect.

"Orochimaru, it's time i end you", the Uchiha said calmly drawing out his sword of kusinagi. The snake sanin just looked at him with a mixture of anger and amusement.

"Kukukukuku...do you think you can defeat me, Sasuke-kun?...kukukuku", Orochimaru asked, not noticing the maniacal smile on Sasuke's face. The door again slowly opened to reveal another person in glasses. The snake on seeing who it was knew exactly what was going on.

"Kabuto, you choose to betray me?".

"No Orochimaru-sama. I only seek to become greater than you. I only seek an identity for myself. And Sasuke-san offered me the chance.", Kabuto said as he adjusted his glasses properly.

"Orochimaru, after this moment, you'll seize to exist. The hawk always stands over the snake.", the sharingan wielder said right before his sword was infused with his lightning based attack, chidori.

"I'll kill booth of you.", the snake said in anger before coughing knowing full well that in his current state, he was at a huge disadvantage against an Uchiha and someone who knew almost everything about him.

"It's very unlikely that you'll live after this, Orochimaru-sama", Kabuto said calmly before closing the door quietly. The three sanins were to be no more.

* * *

Naruto rubbed his eyes as he saw clearly where he was. A slightly flooded hallway leading to a huge prison. Slowly, he made his way towards it, knowing full well what it held behind the rusted bars.

"Came to see me again?", a deep and powerful voice rumbled from within, causing Naruto to stop, anger and pain in his heart.

"Hmmmmm, is that a thirst for revenge i see in you? Do you thirst for my power?", the voice sounded again, almost like the rumbling of thunder on a stormy night.

"Why? Why did you kill him?", the blond whispered almost sorrowfully and keeping his eyes on his flooded feet. A deep chuckle came right before two red eyes appeared in the darkness of the cell, causing Naruto to stumble back a little.

"Killed him? That puny human who tried to fight me? Hmmmm, as much as i'd have loved to say yes to that, the only truth is that the one truly killed is...Uchiha Madara.".

Naruto stumbled backwards again as he remembered that name. It was the name the Kyubi had roared before he had lost control.

"Who is he?", Naruto asked, causing the great bijuu to chuckle again...more sarcastically causing ripples in the water from his voice.

"Someone i wish to kill myself. Now if you released me, i'll make sure he-"

"You're not getting out.", Naruto spoke and turned around as he begun walking away causing to bijuu's anger to rise. It bared it's huge canines.

"Well, that man still died...".

Naruto paused at those words from the bijuu.

"...and his blood is also on you too", the Kyubi added menacingly.

The blond's fingers wrapped around into a fist as those words floated through him.

"He used his life to re-create the seal in order to protect you.", the beast spoke within his cell, causing Naruto to feel more pain. He really did feel responsible in a way...his decisions had led to this particular situation and that was something he couldn't change. First Tsunade...now Jiraiya.

"HIS BLOOD IS ON YOUUUUUUU".

The blond's eyes snapped open as he bolted into a sitting position with a sweaty body. Trying to calm his ragged breathing, he slowly looked around to find himself in a hospital room. From one glance out the window he could easily see where he was. Sunagakure. Deciding to check how well he was, he slid himself from the bed and stood on his feet and stretched them. He felt rejuvenated right before the door slid open to reveal a red haired guy around his age with eyes that seemed to stare into a person's soul. This was his friend, a person who he knew would always be there for him.

"Seems you're already up and about.", Gaara said as he stepped into the blond's room.

"Yeah", Naruto said with a smile as he brushed his sorrow aside. His mind snapped.

"Where's Hinata?", he asked, trying to hide the worried expression from his friend but failed miserably. Gaara who had easily read through Naruto's worry gave a rather rare smile and nodded.

"She's fine, she's been with Temari for the last two days...though she's been here more than-"

"WHAT?", Naruto shouted, almost comically causing an earthquake. Two days? He'd been out for two whole days?

"You were almost completely drained of chakra. Your body needed time to get itself back into a normal state.", Gaara said as he begun to walk out with Naruto following.

"Hinata on the other hand wasn't too badly injured with the exception of a few bruises and minor cuts.", the sand Kazekage continued as the boy followed him. Soon, they were out of the hospital's interior and on the roof looking over the desert city. Looking over, Naruto could see how beautiful Suna really was...but that was not what he wanted to have in his mind.

"Gaara, how did-"

"-we know where you were?", the Kazekage concluded Naruto's question before the boy could finish. Keeping his gaze on the village, Gaara spoke.

"Jiraiya-sama told us. He had one of his loyal contact in Konoha's line-up keep us informed. A few days after you were captured, he informed us of something strange going to happen. He also informed us of the alliance between Konohagakure, Iwagakure and possibly Kumogakure. And since Iwa was always known to be in touch with Akatsuki, it can be logical to assume that Konoha, Iwa and Akatsuki are allied with each other.", Gaara explained causing Naruto to think a little. Konoha being allied to Iwa was something he knew...but with Akatsuki, that was something he hadn't thought of. And what was their plan. Then something clicked slightly in his mind. Wasn't Orochimaru used to be part of Akatsuki? Wasn't Sasuke part of Orochimaru's faculty?

"Danzo", he whispered causing Gaara to nod his head in approval.

"Yes, Konoha might have no idea of what they are involved in, except the Hokage", the red haired Kazekage said, still keeping his gaze on the village he was to protect till death.

"The only thing left is to find the motive behind this web.", Gaara said slightly mysteriously causing Naruto to flinch at the change of mood. The only was to find their motive was to infiltrate either Konoha or Iwa...and that itself wasn't an easy task. Naruto was about to speak but stopped...he was about to protest against doing anything for Konoha but paused...it wasn't the village's fault...it was someone else's fault. And the only name he had was Uchiha Madara...but he wasn't sure it was time to release the name yet.

"Lets go Uzumaki, your girlfriend will be waiting for you.".

"ok...wait...what? SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND", the blond shouted as he followed the red haired out.

* * *

Hinata sat calmly on her bed as she looked at her ninja clothing which lay beside her on the bed. She was currently in a kimono that Temari had provided for her. She had wanted to go and see Naruto today too but found herself lacking the will power to go there. Something deep within her caused her to feel a bit of hate and anger towards herself. Hate that she'd left Konoha and seemingly shamed her clan and betrayed her friends. She was sure by now she would have already been rated a missing nin of the village. But somehow, she also didn't care. She didn't care because at least she could help him. There was a knock on her door. Feeling rather lazy, she got up and went to the door and opened it. She immediately blushed a fierce red as she saw who it was.

"Hinata, how are you doing?", Naruto asked flashing one of his big smiles. Immediately, a rather fiercer fire red blush rushed over Hinata again, she couldn't speak.

"Uhhh...hey. i was wondering if...if you'd want to come with me eat, uhh i mean eat me with...i mean-".

"S...su...sure, i'd...i'd love...to", Hinata ended it all with a smile and the blush still on.

"Ok...ummmm...i'll pick you after sunset", Naruto said and walked away wondering why he had been so nervous. He brushed it aside thinking of what he was going to tell Hinata.

On the other hand, once Hinata's door closed, she fell flat on the floor...fainted but with a smile.

* * *

Two figures emerged from a room thoroughly tired but able to stand. Two figures.

"You can take his body for your experiment...just be ready for my next move".

"Sure, i'll only take two or three days to finish preparing that jutsu", one said as he walked away with glasses on.

"The hawk has been born", a cold voice spoke with red eyes with three tomoes.

* * *

**Review if you really really want the next chapter to be out as soon as possible...  
**


	12. A new path

**Read and review...and can someone please tell me how long it took Naruto to train at mount Myoboku?**

In Suna...

The door to the Kazekage's office opened as a figure stepped out of it's gloomy interior.

"Naruto, it's the only way", the Kazekage said as his friend stepped out of the office but pausing long enough to hear those words.

"Yeah, i know", he whispered before closing the door quietly. A deep breath escaped his lips as he brushed a little trail of dirt on the formal clothing he'd been provided with. To the blond, his life had just gotten a little more complicated. He let his hand snake into his pocket to stroke the small scroll hidden in the warmth of the clothing. Another sigh escaped his lips as he moved, walking calmly until he was finally out of the Kazekage's building. He let his gaze rise to the night sky wondering why people had always been happy to just gaze at it. It was just starless...but had some strange sense of warmth to it. A warmth that seemed to radiate onto the village. His eyes fell back to the street as people walked around...families...friends.

**'Do you know your fate?'**, a voice deep within Naruto's mind rumbled like an earthquake. With a groan, the boy knew that the seal wasn't as perfect as he thought.

**'You bring nothing but misfortune.'**, the voice rumbled again causing Naruto to wince slightly from the slight pain. He continued walking, not wanting to listen to the Kyubi's voice.

**'Everyone who you involve dies'**. His footstep stopped.

**'Look around at their happiness...'.**

The blond looked around...a young woman blushing as she walked hand in hand with a man...a woman carrying her daughter who yawned and snuggled into her mother arms...an old man chasing after a young boy who was yelling something about being the Kazekage.

**'...pathetic fools, not knowing the promise of sorrow and pain you bring to drown them in their own blood. Do you really wish them pain and death?'.**

Naruto's breath was now a bit strained as he breathed faster, trying not to let the pain overwhelm him.

**'Your parent left you...Tsunade left you...your friends abandoned you...and then that Jiraiya left too.'.**

A shudder coursed through Naruto's body, pleasing the nine tails more because his plan was working. He'd be patient and soon freedom would be his to taste.

**'No one will be safe from the darkness which follows you'**, and with that, the voice vanished with a slight rumble.

An obviously shaken Naruto begun walking ...he needed to go somewhere...somewhere he could think...he'd talk to Hinata later. And with that, the young jinchuriki vanished onto the rooftops and moved with the night breeze trying not to pay attention to the pain deep within his heart. Tears formed at the corner of his eyes but with a strong will, he pushed them back. He wasn't going to be weak...at least not until he found out why his sensei and mentor had wanted him to go that way.

"I won't disappoint you, i won't", he whispered to the dusty wind, hoping it would carry it to the other world. He moved faster with the breeze knowing that he truly felt that what the Kyubi said was true. He needed to be alone.

* * *

Hinata sat calmly on her bed with her eyes glued to her feet. She'd been sitting there waiting for a certain someone to arrive but no one did...at least not yet. She closed her eyes, trying to clean up the emptiness she felt within. She'd been sitting there waiting since sunset and now she was sure that hours had already passed away yet she still held a small strand of hope that he would be there. She still believed that-

*Knock*knock*knock*

Quickly standing up, she rushed to the door and opened it, a big smile on her face but faded back when she saw Temari looking at her with half closed eyes. The wind user looked thoroughly exhausted from a full day of mission after mission.

"Hey, came to inform you that am going out again for an emergency something with Gaara. Be back in a few hours", the Suna kunoichi said and begun walking away not hearing the Hyuga's reply. As soon as she exited her apartment, Hinata stepped back into her room and fell onto the bed and looked at the ceiling. Maybe dreaming of this had been a bad idea, she thought as she slowly begun to drift into a hurtful sleep until she heard a knock...except this one came from the-

"Naruto-kun", she whispered as she walked over and allowed the blond to slip in.

"Hey, sorry i was late and all...had some thinking to do", the blond said, trying to smile as he slipped inside.

"Ohh...it's...it's nothing", Hinata said blushing as another spark of hope blossomed in her heart. She stood looking at the blond wondering if they'd be going out anytime soon.

"Uhhh, Hinata, can we sit. I've got something to tell you", Naruto said as he sat on the edge of the bed, causing Hinata to do the same whilst blushing as some unclean thoughts floated in her mind.

"Where do i begin? I guess i should start by saying that Suna isn't the right place to stay. I wouldn't like the problems which follows me to reach it's boarders.", the boy said as he tried to keep his eyes on the window.

"The truth is that i don't want anyone to fall into my pain...no one", and with that, he drew his eyes to look at Hinata.

"Tomorrow am leaving Suna".

Hinata nodded a little as she took it all in. Though saddened by what he said, Hinata forced a sincere smile onto her face.

"o...ok, so where do we go from here?", she asked also looking away, shy to meet the blond's eyes.

""I can't tell you that...because you're not coming with me".

For a second, Hinata wasn't sure what she had just heard. Her mind was just blank as if she had just lost her memory.

"Wh...what?", she asked as her mind finally registered what Naruto said. She was still doubtful whether she'd heard him correctly.

"You can't come along with me.", the blond stated bluntly. Naruto, with a sigh stood up and faced the window not wanting to look at Hinata. He didn't want to feel any sadness for her...after all, she had never been one of his closest friends, right?

"Hinata, Gaara could provide you with a chance to stay in Suna if you want. He could even get you back into Konoha under a lie which the council would surely believe", Naruto said in more of a whisper. For a second, he thought he might be alone in the room.

"B...but, wh...what are you going to do?", Hinata almost whispered out too as she fought back her tears. She'd always been taught that tears made a person weak.

Naruto's mouth was shut, he didn't want to speak, he didn't want to worsen or make anything too hard.

"I...i can't go...back", Hinata said looking at her feet, not bothering to look at Naruto's back.

"You can't come with me...it's...it's not safe".

For the first time in the moment, Hinata looked to Naruto's back with a mixture of both fear and sadness in her eyes.

"...i...i can't...i can't let you take that risk", the blond said, not bothering to turn. All his life, from birth till now, nothing had gone his way.

"Hinata, from the day i was born no one wanted me. My parent left me to become a jinchuriki, to be hated and despised. Then i found friends who walked away and ruined my life. I got a person who i could see as an older sister or even an aunt and still managed to loose her. Finally, the man who saw me for me and made me know how strong i was died...by what was in me. All for my sake...", Naruto whispered as he walked closer to the opened window, hiding his face from Hinata, not wanting the world to see his weakness.

"...people get hurt.", he added in a clearer voice as a cold night breeze swept in, drawing a slight shiver.

"B...but Naruto-kun, i can-", Hinata paused as she realized what he was saying: he didn't want her getting hurt.

"Hinata, you're not one of my closest friends, yet what you did for me is something am grateful for, that's why i can't allow you to-".

"No".

This time it was Naruto's turn to be surprised. He hadn't expected Hinata to say something so confidently.

"Right now, you've changed. I've always followed your belief that having someone to protect always made one strong. Isn't that true, Naruto-kun?", the Hyuga said drawing on confidence she never knew existed in her. When Naruto failed to speak, she continued.

"I've never given up on anything...neither will i give up on...you", she said through deep breaths causing a smile to caress it's way onto Naruto's face and she didn't need her byakugan to see that.

"Well, in that case, I'll see you tomorrow, i promise.", the blond said and lept out the window, leaving a surprised Hinata alone. She wasn't completely aware of the smile on her face. The only thing she cared about was that Naruto wasn't going to leave and the promise he had given her was a proof of it. With a sense of happiness, Hinata sat on her bed. The conversation they'd had was worth a date, she thought as she lay on her bed.

"I'll be there for you, Naruto-kun..i promise too", she whispered as sleep begun to usher her through the breeze from the window. She was happy.

* * *

In Konoha...

Kakashi sat on the roof of his apartment with his book closed by his side: a rather strange sight since the said jonin never went a free second without reading his book. The reason for this attitude was because he wasn't sure of something. Not sure if the situation with Naruto was truly what everyone thought. These thoughts had been with him from the moment he'd seen the figure vanish from the moment he'd seen the figure vanish before the Kyubi's miniature form went on a rampage. Jiraiya's death although the work of a Kyubi influenced Naruto, was seen as the work of a simple hate filled Naruto. A few had even gone to the extent of creating lies about how they saw Naruto viciously attack and kill the sanin, fallacy, falsehood and he knew it. And then there was the case with the Hyuga clan. They'd been angered by the fact that Hinata had vanished and now finding out that she had flee to Suna with Naruto and under the protection of the Kazekage...well, they wanted full out war.

Truthfully speaking, Konoha was in turmoil, not like that of the first Kyubi attack but at least close to it. The economy was gradually falling due to the huge budget made on replacing destroyed social amenities plus housing and slight compensation to the villagers who had been thrown below the poverty line. From what Kakashi knew, the rebuilding of the village though slow should have been a lot slower. He knew Konoha had some money enough to go through projects but the pace proved that a richer external force was at hand and that made the sharingan user rather nervous. With a breath, he was gone from his position, replaced by a few leaves.

* * *

"Ok, lets begin...", Neji spoke calmly in the shadows with others around him.

"...from what he know,Hinata is with Naruto. We know well what he's made out of and what kind of person he is. All of you know how Hinata felt for Naruto so we'll have to bring her back at all cost because her emotions are above her own control.", the Hyuga branch member added with folded arms.

"But they're in Suna and the Hokage informed us that the Anbu team sent to retrieve them had been brutally defeated and left to limp their way back. The last thing they said was that the Kazekage said the two were under his care. so what do we do?", Ino said as she sat beside her long time pink haired friend.

"I'll tell you what we do, we sneak in and get Hinata and beat the crap out of the traitor, Naruto", Kiba almost shouted in anger but was instantly calmled by Chouji.

"That won't be possible. Suna has hidden sensors like Konoha too, only perfect espionage experts can sneak in and out...", Shino spoke behind his glasses without any sign of emotions.

"...plus the only person of that caliber is already dead.", the bug user added with still no hint of emotions.

"So what do we do?", Sakura asked causing everyone to look to Shikamaru who kept muttering something like "troublesome troublesome".

"Almost every aspect we can take in any plan will bring consequences due to the existence of several variables in this".

Everyone except Neji and Shino looked at him as if he were mad. The Nara sighed.

"I mean if we try to do almost anything, we could get ourselves or the village in trouble due to out affiliation.", the Nara said, keeping the fact that the whole issue was troublesome out of his explanation.

"Then what do you expect us to do?", Kiba shouted with his arms folded and Akamaru barking in agreement beside him. Again, everyone looked at the Nara genius again hoping he would again have a plan but this time it was something else who spoke.

"What if we just go in Suna in the name of just speaking to Hinata", Tenten said but immediately looked away when she realized everyone there was giving her a funny look.

"That might be a strangely good idea", Neji spoke, keeping his eyes on the full moon over them.

"we go into Suna in the name of diplomacy and manage to get Hinata out.", he concluded. Everyone else nodded their agreement to the plan yet one Nara genius remained quiet. He knew instinctively that there was till several variables against the mission they'd willed upon themselves.

"First, we make the idea known to the Hokage. This is really going to be troublesome.".

* * *

In Suna...

Naruto slowly walked through the night street of Suna, his mind blank of the shinobi who were patrolling the village. He gripped the strap of the bag he wore tightly just to make sure that he was there, alive and doing what he thought he was. The smooth ache of the of the strap's roughness in his palm made him certain that everything was real, everything was true.

"So".

Naruto paused and looked to his left to see a figure of a red haired guy walk out of the darkness of an alley. Still as stealthy as ever.

"Came to see me off?", Naruto spoke, taking his sight off his friend and putting it on the road ahead.

"Not really, just came to make sure you know what you're doing.", the Kazekage said as he crossed his arms and fell into strides with Naruto.

"Yeah, me too. It's what he would have wanted.", the blond said, a small smile creeping on his face as the "he" he was talking about came in mind. The two stopped.

"Guess i've got to go now.", Naruto said , still keeping his eyes on the desert ahead.

"What about the Hyuga girl? What are you going to do about how she feels about you?".

For the answer to the question, Naruto looked at Gaara with utter confusion, displaying the traits of his old self.

"What are you talking about?", he asked totally oblivious of what Gaara was trying to tell him. Even he didn't know the girl that much but he could see how she felt towards the blond knucklehead.

"Just what should i do about her?".

"I don't know. Just tell her am sorry and any other thing you can cook up to get her reinstated in Konoha.", he said, this time turning to face Gaara with his hand stretched out. The Kazekage willingly took it and shook.

"Just make sure to hurry it up", Gaara said as he flashed his rather rare half smile. With a nod, Naruto vanished as he leaped upon roofs until he was soon on foot in the desert around Suna. After a few minutes, he stopped and took out a scroll and laid it down. He bit his thumb to draw some blood and made a seal before slamming his palms on the scroll.

Before he could react, he found himself standing in a middle of what looked like a park with frog statues and smoke clearing around him. Was this where he was meant to come through the use of the scroll? Was this where his sensei had planned for him to learn?

"Welcome..."

The blond spun around at the sound of a croaked voice only to look at a figure standing on one of the statues.

"...to Mount Myoboku", the old frog said with a smile

**Well, this is the end...now review and can someone please tell me how long it took Naruto to train to become a sage?**


	13. Author's Note

The next two or three chapters of my fiction will cover the occurrences of the shinobi world and get all the gears moving. Please not that Naruto's sage training will not be brought up and I've approximated his training to last for a month. So, please bare with me for the time length between each updates since i have to plan everything well enough to add some mix to the whole tale.

Have a happy Easter,

Kage No Naka No Hikari


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